A novel o-nitrobenzyl-based photocleavable antitumor prodrug with the capability of releasing 5-fluorourail

An o-nitrobenzyl-based photocleavable antitumor prodrug with a terminal carboxyl group was designed and synthesized. The photolysis properties of the prodrug were investigated by means of 1H NMR, HPLC, UV, and MTT methods. The results showed that the toxicity of the anticancer drug was effectively shielded before release. However, the prodrug effectively regained the antitumor capability against cancer cells by release of 5-fluorouracil when it was exposed to ultraviolet irradiation.