(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2003/0185793 A1 Kratz (43) Pub
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US 2003.0185793A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2003/0185793 A1 Kratz (43) Pub. Date: Oct. 2, 2003 (54) THERAPEUTIC AND DIAGNOSTIC LIGAND (30) Foreign Application Priority Data SYSTEMS COMPRISING TRANSPORT MOLECULE BINDING PROPERTIES AND Mar. 13, 2000 (DE)........................................ 1OO12120.9 MEDICAMENTS CONTAINING THE SAME Publication Classification (76) Inventor: Felix Kratz, Ihringen (DE) (51) Int. Cl." ......................... A61K 38/19; A61K 38/14; A61K 38/16 Correspondence Address: (52) U.S. Cl. .................... 424/85.1; 514/2; 514/6; 514/8; WEINGARTEN, SCHURGIN, GAGNEBIN & 514/27; 514/44; 530/350; 530/351; LEBOVICI LLP 530/322; 530/391.1 TEN POST OFFICE SQUARE BOSTON, MA 02109 (US) (57) ABSTRACT The invention relates to transport molecule binding ligand (21) Appl. No.: 10/221,544 compounds which comprise a therapeutically and/or diag nostically active Substance and a carrier molecule-affine (22) PCT Filed: Mar. 13, 2001 Substance with a high association constant to the carrier molecule. The invention also relates to medicaments con (86) PCT No.: PCT/EP01/02833 taining these ligand compounds and to diagnostic kits. US 2003/0185793 A1 Oct. 2, 2003 THERAPEUTIC AND DIAGNOSTIC LIGAND action (for example, as a cytostatic agent and as an anti SYSTEMS COMPRISING TRANSPORT rheumatic agent etc.). The term "diagnostically active Sub MOLECULE BINDING PROPERTIES AND stance' means that the respective Substance is detectable, MEDCAMENTS CONTAINING THE SAME preferably also quantifiable, in the organism or parts thereof, Such as for example cells and/or fluids, Such as for example DESCRIPTION Serum, by means of Suitable chemical and/or physical mea Surement methods. 0001. The present invention relates to carrier molecule binding ligand compounds comprising a therapeutically 0009. The carrier-molecule-affinitive substance in the and/or diagnostically active Substance and a carrier-mol carrier-molecule-binding ligand compound according to the ecule-affinitive Substance with a high asSociation constant invention has no covalent interaction with the carrier mol relative to the carrier molecule, as well as pharmaceutical ecule, i.e., the carrier-molecule-affinitive Substance binds to products and diagnostic kits containing these ligand com the carrier molecule on the basis of interactions of physical pounds. nature Such as electroStatic interactions, hydrogen bonds, van der Waals bonds, and/or hydrophobic interactions. 0002. A number of transport proteins for lipids, hor Moreover, with regard to the Specificity of the carrier mones, metabolites, pharmaceutical drugs, and Vitamins molecule-affinitive Substance (in respect) to the carrier mol circulate in the bloodstream. Examples of Such transport ecule, it is crucial that the equilibrium constant of the proteins are albumin, haptoglobin, prealbumin, low-density asSociation reaction between the carrier molecule and the lipoprotein (LDL), retinol-binding protein, transcortin, Vita carrier-molecule-affinitive Substance be Sufficiently high, min D-binding protein, or transcobalamin. The affinity which according to the invention corresponds to a value of between the transport protein and its ligand is described in >10M (log K-3), preferably at least 10'M' (log K at particular by means of the association constant KA. least 4), more preferably >10 M' (log Ka-5), even more 0003. It is known that a number of compounds, such as preferably >107M (log K-7) at most preferably >108 for example dyes, porphyrins, organic acids or pharmaceu M (log KA>8). In the ligand compound according to the tical drugs, enter into a distinct noncovalent, i.e., physical invention, the therapeutically and/or diagnostically active interaction with certain transport proteins in the blood Substance may be bound directly to the carrier-molecule Stream, whereby a Selectivity exists for certain transport affinitive substance. In a preferred embodiment of the ligand proteins, for example for albumin. compound according to the invention, the linkage between the therapeutically and/or diagnostically active Substance 0004 For a number of blood proteins it is further known and the carrier-molecule-affinitive Substance either is not that they accumulate in pathogenic tissue, for example in cleavable or this linkage is pH-dependent and/or enzymati malignant or inflamed tissue. For example, Such accumula cally cleavable, within the body. tion has been demonstrated for the Serum protein albumin (Kratz, F., Beyer U. (1998) Serum proteins as drug carriers 0010. In a further preferred embodiment of the ligand of anticancer agents, a review. Drug Delivery, 5, 1-19). compound according to the invention, the therapeutically and/or diagnostically active Substance and the carrier-mol 0005 The technical problem underlying the present ecule-affinitive Substance are bound to each other through a invention is to therapeutically and diagnostically utilize the Spacer molecule. Moreover, as already explained above for above-indicated carrier-molecule-binding properties, Such direct linkage between the therapeutically and/or diagnosti as for example binding to transport proteins in the blood cally active Substance and the carrier-molecule-affinitive Stream due to distinct physical interactions, and to provide Substance, the Spacer molecule and/or the linkage between a new ligand System with carrier-molecule-binding proper the therapeutically and/or diagnostically active Substance ties and pharmaceutical products containing these carrier and the Spacer molecule and/or the linkage of the carrier molecule-binding compounds. molecule-affinitive Substance and the Spacer molecule either 0006 The solution to this technical problem is achieved is uncleavable or the Spacer molecule and/or the indicated by means of the embodiments of the present invention as linkages can be pH-dependent and/or enzymatically cleav characterized in the claims. able, within the body. 0007. In particular, a carrier-molecule-binding ligand 0011. According to a further preferred embodiment, the compound is provided that comprises at least one therapeu direct linkage between the therapeutically and/or diagnosti tically or pharmaceutically and/or diagnostically active Sub cally active Substance and the carrier-molecule-affinitive stance and at least one carrier-molecule-affinitive Substance, Substance or the Spacer molecule and/or the linkage between having an association or binding constant KA relative to the the therapeutically and/or diagnostically active Substance carrier molecule of >10 M', preferably >10 M', even and the Spacer molecule and/or the linkage between the more preferably >107 M', most preferably >108 MT', carrier-molecule-affinitive Substance and the Spacer mol through a noncovalent bond. ecule contains at least one acid-labile bond. Examples of Such acid-labile bonds are ester, acetal, ketal, imine, hydra 0008. The term “therapeutically or pharmaceutically Zone, carboxylhydraZone, or SulfonylhydraZone compounds. active Substance' means that the respective Substance, either itself or after it is metabolized in the respective organism, 0012. According to a further embodiment of the ligand has a pharmacological effect, and thus the term also com compound according to the invention, either the direct prises the derivatives resulting from these conversions. Of linkage between the therapeutically and/or diagnostically course, the therapeutically active Substance can have a single active Substance and the carrier-molecule-affinitive Sub pharmacological spectrum of action (for example, only as a stance or the Spacer molecule and/or the linkage between the cytostatic agent) or a broad pharmacological spectrum of therapeutically and/or diagnostically active Substance and US 2003/0185793 A1 Oct. 2, 2003 the Spacer molecule and/or the linkage between the carrier 0016. The term “carrier molecule” comprises both natu molecule-affinitive Substance and the Spacer molecule con ral and Synthetic molecules that are Suitable for transporting tains at least one peptide bond. The peptide bond preferably ligand compounds according to the invention, for example is located within a peptide Sequence which contains at least in body fluids such as blood serum. Suitable transport one protease cleavage Sequence. Hence at least one peptide molecules are naturally occurring or Synthetic macromol bond can be realized by addition of a peptide Sequence into ecules, for example polyethylene glycol (PEG) or dextran, the direct linkage between the therapeutically and/or diag and biological macromolecules Such as proteins. Preferred nostically active Substance and the carrier-molecule-affini proteins that are Suitable as carrier molecules are Selected tive Substance or into the Spacer molecule and/or into the from the group consisting of Serum proteins. Albumin is an linkage between the therapeutically and/or diagnostically example of a preferred Suitable Serum protein. Further active Substance and the Spacer molecule and/or into the linkage between the carrier-molecule-affinitive Substance transport proteins Suitable as carrier molecules are transfer and the Spacer molecule, i.e., the respective linkage is a rin, haptoglobin, prealbumin, low-density lipoprotein peptide bond, and preferably consists of about 1 to 30 amino (LDL), retinol-binding protein, transcortin, as well as Vita acids. The peptide Sequence is preferably tailored to the min D-binding protein or transcobalamin. Substrate Specificity of certain endogenous enzymes or enzymes