Simply addition of PEG homopolymer enhances the efficacy of camptothecin drugs

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is a famous molecule in the field of biomedicine such as Pharmaceutics with many wonderful functions. Recently a new magic function in Pharmaceutics was revealed by Ding group in Fudan University.

PEG was found to enhance the lactone fraction of the camptothecin (CPT) family drugs via drug-molecular interactions, with the detailed mechanism open at the present time.

The close-ring form (lactone) of the CPT-like drug is active, and the open-ring form (carboxylate) is inactive and of adverse effects. While CPT drugs are quite famous, the classic problem of such a kind of drugs comes from the preferred opening of its E-ring at physiological pH. Now this problem is partially dissolved simply via addition of a well-known homopolymer.

An article first-authored by a Ph.D student, Ms. Tianyuan CI was published in JCR, an authority journal in Pharmaceutics.

Tianyuan Ci, Ting Li, Guangtao Chang, Lin Yu, Jiandong Ding*, Simply mixing with poly(ethylene glycol) enhances the fraction of the active chemical form of antitumor drugs of camptothecin family, J. Controlled Release, 169(3), 329–335 (2013)