N,N-Dimethylsphingosine conjugates of poly-l-glutamic acid: Synthesis, characterization, and initial biological evaluation

Poly- l -glutamic acid (PGA) has previously been demonstrated to be an effective backbone for creating a hydrophilic prodrug of the established anti-tumor agent, paclitaxel, the active agent in Taxol; this approach has obviated the need for the toxic Cremophor excipient, used to enhance the solubility of paclitaxel in the clinical formulation. In order to form hydrophilic prodrugs of the hydrophobic pro-apoptotic sphingolipid, N,N -dimethylsphingosine (DMSP), PGA was condensed with DMSP, previously modified with coumarin to allow spectroscopic detection during conjugate synthesis, to yield PGA–DMSP. Conjugates with different loadings of DMSP were prepared and evaluated for in vitro cytotoxicity against two human breast adenocarcinoma cell lines. Time- and loading-dependent expression of cytotoxicity was observed, such that endpoints essentially equivalent to those observed with free-DMSP were achieved, but in a more protracted manner, consistent with prodrug behavior. PGA–DMSP was initially evaluated for toxicity in female nude mice, and administration of high net levels of DMSP, exceeding those achievable with free-DMSP, was well-tolerated. We propose that PGA–DMSP conjugates merit evaluation for anti-tumor efficacy in pre-clinical tumor models.