Drug targeting to sites of oxidative stress using the Baeyer-Villiger reaction
Avery, T. D.; Li, J.; Turner, D. J. L.; Cherry, F. R.; Ur Rasheed, M. S.; Aguilar, C.; Shepherd, A. J.; Yu, J.; Grace, P. M.; Abell, A. D.
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The antioxidant nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a desirable therapeutic target for a broad range of pathologies, including chronic diseases of the lung and liver, and autoimmune, neurodegenerative, and cardiovascular disorders. However, current Nrf2 activators are limited by unwanted effects due to non-specificity, and systemic distribution and action. Here we report that a 1,2-dicarbonyl moiety masks the electrophilic reactivity of the Nrf2 activator monomethyl fumarate (MMF), otherwise responsible for its non-specific effects. The 1,2-dicarbonyl compound is highly susceptible to Baeyer-Villiger oxidation, with generation of MMF specifically on exposure to pathological levels of hydrogen peroxide or peroxynitrite. Oral treatment with the MMF generating 1,2-dicarbonyl compound reversed chronic neuropathic and osteoarthritis pain in mice, and selectively activated Nrf2 at sites of oxidative stress. This 1,2-dicarbonyl platform may be used to treat additional disorders of oxidative stress, and to selectively target other therapeutics to sites of redox imbalance.
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