Prodrugs of phosphonates and phosphates: crossing the membrane barrier.
A substantial portion of metabolism involves transformation of phosphate esters, including pathways leading to nucleotides and oligonucleotides, carbohydrates, isoprenoids and steroids, and phosphorylated proteins. Because the natural substrates bear one or more negative charges, drugs that target these enzymes generally must be charged as well, but small charged molecules can have difficulty traversing the cell membrane by means other than endocytosis. The resulting dichotomy has stimulated a great deal of effort to develop effective prodrugs, compounds that carry little or no charge to enable them to transit biological membranes, but able to release the parent drug once inside the target cell. This chapter presents recent studies on advances in prodrug forms, along with representative examples of their application to marketed and developmental drugs.
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA.
Andrew J
AJ
Wiemer
David F
DF
Wiemer
D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability; D015195:Drug Design; D004952:Esters; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009705:Nucleosides / Q000378:metabolism; D009711:Nucleotides / Q000378:metabolism; D063065:Organophosphonates / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010710:Phosphates / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D011355:Prodrugs / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013729:Terpenes / Q000378:metabolism
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004952:Esters; D009705:Nucleosides; D009711:Nucleotides; D063065:Organophosphonates; D010710:Phosphates; D011355:Prodrugs; D011506:Proteins; D013729:Terpenes