Structural modifications of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have successfully reduced the side effect of gastrointestinal ulceration without affecting anti-inflammatory activity, but may increase risk of myocardial infarction with chronic use. That nitroxyl (HNO) reduces platelet aggregation, preconditions against myocardial infarction and enhances contractility led us to synthesize a diazeniumdiolate-based HNO releasing aspirin and to compare it to an NO-releasing analogue. Here, the decomposition mechanisms are described for these compounds. In addition to protection against stomach ulceration, these prodrugs also exhibited significantly enhanced cytotoxcity compared to either aspirin or the parent diazeniumdiolate toward non-small cell lung carcinoma cells (A549) but were not appreciably toxic toward endothelial cells (HUVECs). The HNO-NSAID prodrug inhibited cylcooxgenase-2 and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity and triggered significant sarcomere shortening compared to control on murine ventricular myocytes. Together, these anti-inflammatory, anti-neoplasic and contractile properties suggest the potential of HNO-NSAIDs in the treatment of inflammation, cancer or heart failure.

Molecules that undergo activation or modulation following the addition of benign external small-molecule chemical stimuli have numerous applications. Here, we report the highly efficient "decaging" of a variety of moieties by activation of a "self-immolative" linker, by application of water-soluble and stable tetrazine, including the controlled delivery of doxorubicin in a cellular context.

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A new and highly efficient polymer, post-polymerization, modification platform based on an inverse electron demand Diels-Alder reaction is reported. Well-defined defined polymers were synthesized from allyl glycidyl ether and glycidol by anionic ring-opening polymerization with post-polymerization modifications conducted with a number of tetrazine derivatives which carried functional groups spanning from carboxylates and esters to primary amines. Analysis of polymerization kinetics by real-time 1 H NMR and GPC revealed a rapid and high degree of side-chain conversion (>99%), with the generation of well-defined functional polymers, in both organic and aqueous solvents, without the need for additives or catalysts.

Nitric oxide (NO) and its reduced form nitroxyl (HNO), effective vasodilation agents that can inhibit platelet aggregation and adhesion, could suppress adverse cardiovascular effects associated with the use of selective COX-2 inhibitors. In this regard, a sulfohydroxamic acid (SO(2)NHOH) substituent, that can act as a dual NO/HNO donor moiety, was inserted at the para-position of the C2 phenyl ring of acyclic 2-alkyl-1,1,2-triaryl olefins previously shown to be potent and highly selective COX-2 inhibitors. Although this new group of 1,1-diaryl-2-(4-hydroxyaminosulfonylphenyl)alk-1-enes exhibited weak inhibition of the constitutive cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and inducible COX-2 isozymes, in vivo studies showed anti-inflammatory potencies that were generally intermediate between that of the reference drugs aspirin and ibuprofen. All compounds released NO (5.6-13.5% range) upon incubation with phosphate buffer which was increased further (8.3-25.6% range) in the presence of the oxidant K(3)(FeCN(6)).The low release of HNO in MeOH-buffer (< 2% at 24 h incubation) was much higher at alkaline pH (11-37% range). The concept of designing better anti-inflammatory drugs possessing either an effective HNO, or dual NO/HNO, donor moiety that are devoid of adverse ulcerogenic and/or cardiovascular side effects warrants further investigation.