Evaluation of glycine-bearing celecoxib derivatives as a colon-specific mutual prodrug acting on nuclear factor-κB, an anti-inflammatory target.

In an inflammatory state where HOCl is generated, glycine readily reacts with HOCl to produce glycine chloramine, an anti-inflammatory oxidant. Colonic delivery of celecoxib elicits anticolitic effects in a trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced rat colitis model. Glycine-bearing celecoxib derivatives were prepared and evaluated as a colon-specific mutual prodrug acting on nuclear factor-κB (NFκB), an anticolitic target. Glycylcelecoxib (GC), N-glycylaspart-1-ylcelecoxib (N-GA1C), and C-glycylaspart-1-ylcelecoxib (C-GA1C) were synthesized and their structures identified using infrared and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. The celecoxib derivatives were chemically stable in pH 6.8 and 1.2 buffers. GC and C-GA1C were resistant to degradation in the small intestinal contents, while N-GA1C was substantially cleaved to release celecoxib. In contrast, all the celecoxib derivatives were degraded to liberate celecoxib in the cecal content. These results suggest that GC and C-GA1C could be delivered to and liberate celecoxib and glycine in the large intestine. In human colon carcinoma HCT116 and murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells, combined celecoxib-glycine chloramine treatment additively suppressed the production of proinflammatory NFκB target gene products. Collectively, our data suggest that C-GA1C is a potential colon-specific mutual prodrug acting against NFκB.