Amphiphilic irinotecan-melampomagnolide B conjugate nanoparticles for cancer chemotherapy.

ABSTRACT: Melampomagnolide B (MMB) is a natural sesquiterpene lactone product structurally related to parthenolide (PTL). Although MMB has been widely used to treat various types of cancers, such as glioma, leukemia and colon cancer, the effective delivery of MMB to cancer cells remains a challenge. An amphiphilic drug-drug conjugate (ADDC) strategy has been proposed and developed as a promising drug self-delivery system for cancer therapy because of its simple preparation, carrier-free nature, and high therapeutic activity. Herein, we present a new ADDC, which is synthesized by linking the hydrophilic anticancer drug irinotecan (Ir) and the hydrophobic anticancer drug MMB through a carbonate bond. The obtained amphiphilic irinotecan-melampomagnolide B conjugate (Ir-C-MMB) can self-assemble in water

SUBMITTER: Qu W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9050120 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature