Synthesis of novel SN38-aspirin prodrugs for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy and is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. However, there is no effective chemotherapeutic treatment for HCC and its prognosis remains poor. Consequently, it is urgent to find an efficient antitumor agent to treat HCC. In this study, 7-ethyl-10- hydroxycamptothecin (SN38), the bioactive metabolite of the anticancer drug irinotecan (CPT-11), which is 100–1000 times more potent than CPT-11, was coupled with aspirin to give 4 prodrugs. Their structures were characterized by 1H NMR and elemental analysis.