Nitric oxide-releasing docetaxel prodrug nanoplatforms for effective cancer therapy

Docetaxel (DTX) is an important broad-spectrum antitumor drug , but poor water solubility and multidrug resistance often limit clinical application. A nitric oxide (NO) donor docetaxel prodrug (DISMN-DTX) was designed and synthesized, through a two-step procedure starting from isosorbide mononitrate . The novel amphiphilic small molecule prodrug is readily self-assembled into nanoplatforms, which effectively solves the significant obstacle of poor water solubility of DTX. Specifically, the DISMN-DTX nanoplatforms could trigger NO release at the intracellular reduction conditions to improve the chemosensitivity of DTX. Thus, our rationally designed prodrug nanoplatforms provide an efficient treatment option for drug-resistant tumors.