Drug Designing: Open Access
Open Access

Abstract

Designing pH-Responsive Prodrugs: A Strategy for Tumor-Specific Drug Activation

Mariana Lopes Ferreira*

The design of pH-responsive prodrugs represents a compelling strategy to overcome one of the most critical challenges in cancer therapy, selective drug delivery to tumor tissues while sparing healthy cells. Tumors often exhibit a distinct extracellular microenvironment characterized by mild acidity (pH 6.5-6.9), primarily due to anaerobic glycolysis and poor vascular perfusion. This pathological hallmark can be exploited as a biochemical trigger for the activation of specially designed prodrugs pharmacologically inactive compounds that are converted into active drugs under acidic conditions. Unlike conventional chemotherapeutics that often distribute indiscriminately throughout the body, pH-sensitive prodrugs enable localized activation at tumor sites, minimizing systemic toxicity and enhancing therapeutic efficacy.

Published Date: 2025-03-04; Received Date: 2025-02-03