Polypeptide conjugates of D-penicillamine and idarubicin for anticancer therapy.

We investigated anticancer therapy with a novel combination of D-penicillamine (D-pen) and Idarubicin (Ida) in a synthetic dual drug conjugate (DDC). D-pen and Ida were covalently linked to poly(α)-L-glutamic acid (PGA) via reducible disulfide and acid-sensitive hydrazone bonds, respectively. The DDCs showed cell uptake and sustained release of the bound drugs in conditions mimicking the intracellular release media (10mM glutathione and pH 5.2). The in-vitro cytotoxicity of DDCs was comparable to unconjugated Ida in several sensitive and resistant cancer cell lines and correlated with the rate of cell uptake. In a single equivalent-dose pharmacokinetic study, DDCs enhanced the drug exposure by 7-fold and prolonged the plasma circulation half-life (t(1/2)) by 5-fold over unconjugated Ida. The therapeutic index of DDCs was 2-3-fold higher than unconjugated drugs. DDCs caused 89% tumor growth inhibition compared to 60% by unconjugated Ida alone and led to significant enhancement in the median survival (17%) of athymic nu/nu mice bearing NCI-H460 tumor xenografts.