Dapsone Azo-Linked with Two Mesalazine Moieties Is a Me-Better Alternative to Sulfasalazine

Dapsone (DpS) is an antimicrobial and antiprotozoal agent, especially used to treat leprosy. The drug shares a similar mode of action with sulfonamides. Additionally, it possesses anti-inflammatory activity, useful for treating autoimmune diseases. Here, we developed a me-better alternative to sulfasalazine (SSZ), a colon-specific prodrug of mesalazine (5-ASA) used as an anti-inflammatory bowel diseases drug; DpS azo-linked with two molecules of 5-ASA (AS-DpS-AS) was designed and synthesized, and its colon specificity and anti-colitic activity were evaluated. AS-DpS-AS was converted to DpS and the two molecules of 5-ASA (up to approximately 87% conversion) within 24 h after incubation in the cecal contents. Compared to SSZ, AS-DpS-AS showed greater efficiency in colonic drug delivery following oral gavage. Simultaneously, AS-DpS-AS substantially limited the systemic absorption of DpS. In a dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced rat colitis model, oral AS-DpS-AS elicited better efficacy against rat colitis than oral SSZ. Moreover, intracolonic treatment with DpS and/or 5-ASA clearly showed that combined treatment with DpS and 5-ASA was more effective against rat colitis than the single treatment with either DpS or 5-ASA. These results suggest that AS-DpS-AS may be a me-better drug of SSZ with higher therapeutic efficacy, owing to the combined anti-colitic effects of 5-ASA and DpS.

Automated summary

Dapsone is an antimicrobial and antiprotozoal agent with anti-inflammatory activity, used in the treatment of leprosy and autoimmune diseases. A new compound AS-DpS-AS, a combination of DpS and 5-ASA, showed better efficacy against colitis in rats compared to SSZ, suggesting higher therapeutic efficacy due to the combined anti-colitic effects of 5-ASA and DpS.