Synthesis, nanosizing and in vitro drug release of a novel anti-HIV polymeric prodrug: Chitosan-O-isopropyl-5′-O-d4T monophosphate conjugate

A novel approach to improve the antiviral efficacy of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and reduce their side effects was developed by constructing a nanosized NRTI monophosphate-polymer conjugate using d4T as a model NRTI. Firstly, a novel chitosan-O-isopropyl-5′-O-d4T monophosphate conjugate with a phosphoramidate linkage was efficiently synthesized through Atherton–Todd reaction under mild conditions. The anti-HIV activity and cytotoxicity of the polymeric conjugate were evaluated in MT4 cell line. Then the conjugate nanoparticles were prepared by the process of ionotropic gelation between TPP and chitosan-d4T conjugate to improve their delivery to viral reservoirs, and their physicochemical properties were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques and X-ray diffraction (XRD). In vitro drug release studies in pH 1.1 and pH 7.4 suggested that both chitosan-d4T conjugate and its nanoparticles prefer to release d4T 5′-(O-isopropyl) monophosphate than free d4T for prolonged periods, which resulted in the enhancement of anti-HIV selectivity of the polymeric conjugate relative to free d4T due to bypassing the metabolic bottleneck of monophosphorylation. Additionally, the crosslinked conjugate nanoparticles can prevent the coupled drug from leaking out of the nanoparticles before entering the target viral reservoirs and provide a mild sustained release of d4T 5′-(O-isopropyl) monophosphate without the burst release. The results suggested that this kind of chitosan-O-isopropyl-5′-O-d4T monophosphate conjugate nano-prodrugs may be used as a targeting and sustained polymeric prodrugs for improving therapy efficacy and reducing side effects in antiretroviral treatment.

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