Molecules, Vol. 28, Pages 5228: A General Protocol for Synthesizing Thiolated Folate Derivatives
Molecules, Vol. 28, Pages 5228: A General Protocol for Synthesizing Thiolated Folate Derivatives
Molecules doi: 10.3390/molecules28135228
Authors:
Jie Li
Yao Wang
Liangang Shan
Lei Qian
Wenchao Wang
Jixian Liu
Jianguo Tang
Folic acid (FA) has shown great potential in the fields of targeted drug delivery and disease diagnosis due to its highly tumor-targeting nature, biocompatibility, and low cost. However, FA is generally introduced in targeted drug delivery systems through macromolecular linkage via complex synthetic processes, resulting in lower yields and high costs. In this work, we report a general protocol for synthesizing thiolated folate derivatives. The small molecule thiolated folate (TFa) was first synthesized with a purity higher than 98.20%. First, S-S-containing diol was synthesized with a purity higher than 99.44 through a newly developed green oxidation protocol, which was carried out in water with no catalyst. Then, folic acid was modified using the diol through esterification, and TFa was finally synthesized by breaking the disulfide bond. Further, the synthesized TFa was utilized to modify silver nanoparticles. The results showed that TFa could be easily bonded to metal particles. The protocol could be extended to the synthesis of a series of thiolated derivatives of folate, such as mercaptohexyl folate, mercaptoundecyl folate, etc., which would greatly benefit the biological applications of FA.
Source: Molecules - Category: Chemistry Authors: Jie Li Yao Wang Liangang Shan Lei Qian Wenchao Wang Jixian Liu Jianguo Tang Tags: Communication Source Type: research