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A Prodrug Approach for Activity-Based Chemical Modulation toward Multiple Pathological Targets in Alzheimer's Disease.

2026-05-31, Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) (10.1002/smll.74013) (online)
Mi Hee Lim, Jimin Lee, Eunseo Hong, Chanju Na, Yan Li, Jun Go, Ju-Eun Kim, Hyun-Hee Seo, Jong-Min Suh, Jimin Kwak, Young-Ho Lee, Kyoung-Shim Kim, Chul-Ho Lee, and Mingeun Kim (?)
Targeting disease-specific chemical signals enables precise therapeutic control over complex pathologies. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), elevated hydrogen peroxide (HO) accompanies hallmark features, including amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregate deposition and metal ion dyshomeostasis, creating an oxidative milieu primed for selective chemical activation. Here, we show a rationally designed prodrug platform that harnesses HO as an endogenous trigger for redox-based therapy. Boronic ester-masked precursors (BE-1 and BE-2) remain inert under physiological conditions but undergo rapid oxidative deboronation in the presence of HO, releasing redox-active aminophenols. These activated molecules exhibit multimodal pathological modulation, as revealed by molecular-level biochemical and biophysical analyses: scavenging reactive oxygen species, inducing residue-specific oxidative modifications of Aβ, and redirecting aggregation pathways of both metal-free and metal-bound Aβ. In AD transgenic mice, BE-1 undergoes conversion to its active form within the brain tissue. Long-term administration of BE-1 markedly reduces hippocampal oxidative stress, lowers amyloid plaque burden, and improves cognitive performance. This pathology-responsive, activity-based prodrug strategy provides a chemically precise framework for simultaneously modulating multiple, interconnected drivers of neurodegeneration.
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