prodrug Flashcards
what is a prodrug?
inactive precursor of a drug, converted into its active
form in the body by metabolic processes.
what properties are required for a successful oral administration of a drug?
no acid lability, good lipophilic balance, and resistance to stomach and liver enzymes is mandatory for successful oral administration.
what is the purpose of prodrugs?
Designed to maximise the effectiveness of an active drug.
Often employed to tackle problems such as solubility, poor membrane
permeability, drug toxicity, bad taste and short duration of action.
how can prodrugs improve membrane permeability of drugs?
Polar groups, such as carboxylic acids, that may be important in
drug binding (via ionic or hydrogen bonding) can prevent a drug from
crossing the cell membrane.
To overcome this problem, the group is masked in the form of an ester,
which is cleaved upon entry to the cell by enzymes, to yield the active drug
which ester prodrug is not successful in improving membrane permeability?
Conventional monoesters, prepared from methanol (or ethanol) as they become “hidden” from the esterase enzymes by the penicillin molecular framework (steric effect).
