CA1148086A - .beta.-GLUCURONIDASE ACTIVITY AND/OR PH-DEPENDENT PHARMACEUTICALS AND THEIR METHODS OF PRODUCTION AND USE FOR SELECTIVE TREATMENT OF DISEASES - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure Hyperacidified tumors having high .beta.-glucuronidase activity can be treated with glucuronides with aglycones toxic to the tumor cells with great safety toward the rest of the body by first administering an alkalinizing agent in an amount sufficient to maintain the pH level of non-tumor tissues at approximately 7.4 during the glucuronide treatment. This will cause inactivation of .beta.-glucuronidase activity in the rest of the body. When nitrile-containing aglycones are used sodium thiosulfate is also administered to avoid cyanide poisoning. Novel glucuronides are disclosed the aglycones of which exert a higher toxic effect in an acid environment or are water-soluble only in an alkaline environ-ment. Such compounds have particular utility with the above process. By substituting radioisotopes into the aglycone, diagnosis and in situ radiation therapy may be accomplished.
Bacterial cells having .beta.-glucuronidase activity may also be diagnosed and treated in accordance with the present invention. A urine test is disclosed to determine the amount of free glucuronic acid in the urine which is an indication of the presence of a tumor in the body having high .beta.-glucu-ronidase activity. Novel methods of synthesizing the glucu-ronide used in the present invention are also disclosed.

Description

1~8~86 ~-Glucuronidase Activity and/or p~-Dependent Pharmaceuticals and Their Methods of Production and Use for Selective -Treatment of Diseases Technical Field 5lhe present invention relates to the treatment of tumors exhibiting ~-glucuronidase activity by means of glu-curonides having toxic aglycones and, more particularly, to an improvement of such processes w~ich eliminàtes damage to the kidneys. The toxic aglycones may incorporate a nitrile group. The invention further relates to the treatment of certain bacterial infections having ~-glucuronidase acti-vity. The present invention further relates to a new class of glucuronides whose aglycone's activity or water solu-bility is pH dependent as well as the method of preparation of such glucuronides. The present invention still further relates to a novel nitrile-containing glucuronide. Finally, the present invention also relates to a diagnostic urinalysis test by which the presence of tumors having ~-glucuronidase activity can be determined.

Background Art There have been many reports in the prior art relat-ing to the general concept of providing direct transport of an agent which is toxic to tumor cells directly to tumors having B-glucuronidase acti~ity by conjugating the agent with glucuronic acid. Among such reports are Von Ardenne, M. et al. Agressologie, 1976, 17, 5, 261-264; East Ger~an patent 122,386; German Offenlegungschrift 22 12 014; Swee-ney et al, Cancer Research, 31, 477-478, ~pril 1971; Baba et al, Gann, 69, 283-2841 1978; and Ball, C.R., Biochem.
Pharm., 23, 3171-3177 (1974~.
The Von Ardenne reference suggests broadly many types of aglycones which may be conjugatedto glucuronic ,~ .

~, , .
.- -.- , . , -. , .

11~8~86 acid and will be active at the tumor site. These include, broadly, alkylating groups, antimetabolites, cytotoxins, membrane-active (lytic) groups, glycolysis stimulators, respiration inhibitors, inorganic and organic acids and cell cycle stoppers. The ~ast German patent also suggests many such combinations including 5-fluorouracil-glucuronide, methotrexate-glucuronide, 6-mercaptopurene-glucuronide, aniline mustard-glucuronide and many others. The Offenle-gungsschrift also mentions a large number of glucuronides.
The Sweeney article relates to the anti-tumor activity of mycophenolic acid-~-D-glucuronides, Baba relates to the anti-tumor activity of 5-fluorouracil-O-~-D-glucuronide, and Ball relates to the anti-tumor activity of p-hydroxy-aniline mustard glucuronide.
It has also been reported that the selectivity of this transport mechanism can be improved by hyperacidifica-tion of the tumor cells. The Von Ardenne reference supra, as well as the East German patent, ~learly recognize the importance and the feasibility of hyperacidification of the tumor cells when using the glucuronide mechanism. The Von Ardenne reference speaks of a method that yields a pH dif-ference of at least 1 pH unit and may therefore by used as a basis for selectivity. It refers to reaching steady state conditions after hyperacidification in which the brain pH is 7.0 and the tumor tissue pH is approximately 5.5 to 6Ø Note also Von Ardenne, M. et al, Pharmazie, 32 (2):
74-75, 1977.
B.cker, U., Nature, 252, December 20-27, 1974, pp.
726-727, particularly notes that lysosomal enzyme ~-glucuro-nidase has an optimum p~ of 5.2 and that for anti-tumor ac-tivity of glucuronides, the pH must be lowered such as by the administration of glucose. Experiments are detailed which indicate that the hyperacidification by glucose is necessary in order to obtain significant deconjugation of glucuronides.

11481;~86 Even with hyperacidification of the tumor cells by known methods as, for example, glucose administration, however J there is still a problem in that otner organs and tissues of the body whic'n have a naturally occurring high ~-glucuronidase activity, will also release the toxic aglycones and thereby cause da~age to healthy tissues. This is most particularly a problem with regard to the kidney which normally has an acid pH environment.
It has been suggested in British patent 788,855 that mandelonitrile-~-D-glucuronic acid may be used in the treatment of malignant tumors as ~-glucuronidase is preva-lent in malignant tissues and will selectively attack man-delonitrile-~-D-glucuronic acid at the site of the malig-nant tumors to split off hydrogen cyanide. U. S. patent

2,985,664 is also related to mandelonitrile-~-D-glucuronic acid and a method of producing same. These compounds have been named Laetrile by the patentees of the above-mentioned patents.
It has been discovered, however, that none of the mothods of producing this compound set forth in the above-mentioned patents are reproducible. The present inventor has discovered that attempts to oxidize prunasin produce the glucuronide of mandelic acid because the CN group is unstable. Attempts to condense mandelonitrile with glucuronic acid or glucuronolactone or tetra-acetyl-glucu-ronolactone halogenide failed because the mandelonitrile tends to polymerize.
An article by Fenselau, C. et al in Science, 198 (4317) 625-627, 1977, entitled "Mandelonitrile ~-Glucuron-ide: Synthesis and Characterization" cGnfirms that thesynthesis described in the original patents has not been reproduced. This article also confirms that while it was mandelonitrile-~-D-glucuronide which was originally given the name Laetrile, this compound does not appear in the ~148(;~86 Mexican preparations marketed as Laetrile. The major component of preparations currently marketed as Laetrile is amygdalin which may be easily prepared from natural source material, such as kernels of apricots, almonds, S and other members of the Prunus family. However, amygdalin cannot be split by the enzyme ~-glucuronidase.
The Fenselau reference teaches a method for the biosynthesis of mandelonitrile ~-D-glucuronic acid.
While this method may be satisfactory for producing laboratory amounts of the compound, such a biosynthetic process would no doubt be very difficult and costly to commercialize.
The problems involved in the chemical synthesis of mandelonitrile ~-D-glucuronic acid also exist for the synthesis of any glucuronide the aglycone of which is a strong electron acceptor. This is because the glucuronide will become deconjugated (hydrolyzed) in the course of the classical process.
Before using glucuronide treatment, there must be a diagnosis of tumors having ~-glucuronidase activity.
The prior art (for example, Sweeney, supra) suggests taking a biopsy to determine such ~-glucuronidase presence. It would be desirable to be able to detect the presence of such ~-glucuronidase activity tumors by a simple urine test.
Disclosure of Invention Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for the improved treatment of malignant tumors.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved process for the treatment of malignant tumors having high ~-glucuronidase activity.
It is still ~nother o~ject of the present invention to provide such an improved process which is selectively toxic to tumor cells, but does not harm healthy tissue.

1~48~86 It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such an improved process in which the tumor cells are selectively treated with nitrile-containing compounds with concurrent therapy to avoid the possibility of cyanide poisoning in the rest of t'ne body.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide new compounds and pharmaceutical compositions which have very low toxicity to the organism as a whole but very high selective toxicity toward tumor cells, and particularly tumor cells having high ~-glucuronidase activity.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a diagnostic method using radioactive isotopes to selectively label tumor cells so that both primary tumor cells and metastases can be precisely located.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a process of preparin~ the compounds which may be used in such processes of treatment.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a process for preparing mandelonitrile ~oD-gllu-curonic acid by totally chemical synthesis.
It is still another object of the present inventionto provide a method for testing the urine to determine the presence of t~mors having ~-glucuronidase activity.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a process and compositior.s for the treatment of bacterial infections when the bacteria exhibit ~-glucuroni-dase activity.
These and other objects of the present invention will be better understood from a reading of the following summary and the detailed description of the present invention.
It has now been found that the selectivity of glucu-ronide compounds toward tumors can be greatly increased and the possible deconJugation of the tox~c aglycones in normal parts of the body can be greatly minimized by admin-istering to the patient, prior to or simultaneously with -:

1148~86 administration of the glucuronide, an alkalinizing agent which will maintain the pH of the rest of the body at a pH of about 7.4. It is known that at a p~. of 7.4 and above ~-glucuronidase activity is substantially nil.
Thus, the administration of alkalinizing agents such as bicarbonates or other basic salts will substantially decrease and eliminate ~-glucuronidase activity which naturally occurs in certain healthy tissues such as the kidneys, spleen, and liver. Such an administration of alkalinizing agent will not diminish the acidity of the tumor cells themselves, however, in view of the naturally low pH of the tumor cells, the mechanism of prior hyper-acidification, and the lack of substantial blood perfusion through the tumor areas, as well as other possible mechanisms. It has been suggested in the literature, in fact, that bicarbonate will actually increase the acidity of the cancer cells. Gullino, P.M., et al, J.N.C.I., 34, 6, 857-869 (1965).
Since the ~-glucuronidase activity of the tumor cells will be enhanced by acidification, and the ~-glucuro-nidase activity of the rest of the body, particularly of the kidneys, will be substantially eliminated by alkalini-zation, the toxic aglycones will only be released at the tumor site itself due to deconjugation of the glucuronides by the action of ~-glucuronidase. Without the alkaliniza-tion step, substantial amounts of toxic materials may be released, for example, in the kidneys, and the toxic agly-cones so released may cause substantial damage to these organs. Thus, only through the use of the present inven-tion can glucuronides of compounds toxic to tumor cellsbe used clinically with a great degree of safety. The greater the toxicity of the aglyco~es, the more important is the alkalinization step.
A further feature of the present invention is the use of certain novel glucuronide compounds which are parti-1~4~86 cularly suitable for use in the present invention becauseof the significant pH differential between the tumor cells and surrounding healthy tissue. If the aglycone is more active at lower pH, or non-polar in acid condition and becoming polar only in alkaline condition, i.e., the aglycone is water-soluble at pH ranges above about 7 and lipid-soluble at pH ranges below 7, then the selectivity of the present invention is further increased. Using these new compounds, even if there is deconjugation else-where in the body, the aglycone will be water-soluble due to the alkaline pH and be washed out of the system quickly.
However, in the low pH range of the hyperacidified tumor cells, the aglycone will actually become attached to the tumor cells and will not become solubilized and washed away. Even if some amount of aglycone becomes removed from the locus of the tumor cells, they will immediately come into an alkaline environment and thus become water soluble and be quickly swept from the body.
Among the novel glucuronides in this category are 2,4-dinitrophenol-~-D-glucuronic acid; 4-chloro-m-cresol-~-D-glucuronic acid; 4,6-dinitro-o-cresol-~-D-glucuronic acid; 4-chloro-3,5-xylanol-~-D-glucuronic acid; chlorothymol-~-D-glucuronic acid; 2-phenyl-6-chlorophenol-~-D-glucuronic acid; 5-chloro-7iodo-8-quinolinol-~-D-glucuronic acid; and podophyllotoxin-~-D-glucuronic acid. The chloro-m-cresol-~-D-glucuronic acid is of particular interest as it actuall~
loses its toxic activity in an alkaline environment.
Aside from the anti-tumor utility, these novel com-pounds, and any other glucuronide compounds having cytotoxic aglycones, also have an anti-bacterial activity, particularly against those types of bacteria having glucuronidase activity. It is known, for example, that streptococcus, staphylococcus and E. coli bacteria have ~-g~ucuronidase activity. Therefore, if the glucuronides come into contact with these bacteria, they will become deronjugated and the 1148~86 cytotoxic aglycones will be toxic to the bacteria.
It has been reported that the optimum p~. of bacte-rial ~-glucuronidase is higner than the optimum p~ of the ~-glucuronidase of normal healthy internal organs, such as liver, spleen, kidney, etc. Therefore, upon alkaliniza-tion of the body in accordance with the method discussed hereinabove, the ~-glucuronidase activity of the organs will be substantially eliminated, while that of the bacteria, although alkalinzed, will still ~e present. The administered glucuronide will then only be deconjugated to its active form at the site of the infection. Since tumor cells are not being treated for this utility, no hyperacidification step is necessary While the glucuronide compounds discussed herein-above are preferred for use in the process of the presentinvention, it should be understood that the glucuronides of any anti-tumor drug, including those previously suggested in the prior art as being useful,may be used to greater advantage in the process of the present invention since the selectivity thereof will be increased by the alkalinization step. Non-limiting examples of compounds, some of which may have been known, which may also be used in tne present invention, even though th~y have no presently known differ-entiation of toxicity or solubility which is p~ dependent, include 5-fluorouraciI-O-~-D-glucuronic acid; p-hydroxy-aniline mustard-~-D-glucuronic acid; methotrexate-~-D-glucu-ronic acid; floxuridine-~-D-glucuronic acid; cytarabine-~-D-glucuronic acid; melphalan-~-D-glucuronic acid; hydroxy-urea-~-D-glucuronic acid; adriamycin-~-D-glucuronic acid;
thiouracil-~-D-glucuronic acid; chlorophenol-~-D-glucuronic acid; methacrylonitrile-~-D-glucuronic acid; fluoroacetic acid-~-D-glucuronic acid; etc.
Other preferred ~orms of glucuronide for use in the present invention are ones the aglycones of whic~ exert their toxic effect on the cancer cells at the cell membrane.

~4~3~86 g The anti-tumor toxicity of many conventional anti-cancer drugs requires that they penetrate to t'ae nucleus or the mitochondria within the cell. In prior cancer treatment chemotherapy processes the dru~s had to be designed to attack only cancer cells and not all of the other cells of the body with which they come into contact. This is why particular,efforts have been made in the past to develop anti-neoplastic drugs which interfere with cell division.
Many of these drugs must actually enter the nucleus of the cancer cell to be effective. For such drugs, therefore, one must always be concerned that they be transported with-out change through the membrane of the cancer cell before they can exert their toxic effects.
By means of the process of the present invention it is not important that the toxicity of the agent be directed only at cancer cells as opposed to all of the healthy cells of the human body, in view of,the fact that by means of the process of the present invention the aglycone is only released at the cancer site. Accordingly, a particularly useful aglycone is one which exerts its cell toxicity by ,attacking the cell membrane itself. In this way one need not be concerned with the transfer mechanism of the drug through the membrane. Furthermore, by attacking t'ne membrane the nature of the membrane is changed and the antigenic properties of the cells are changed. Therefore the immuni-logical system of the host will aid the toxic agent in rid-ding the host of these cells. Accordingly a m~lch lower dose need be used.
Examples of aglycones which exert this effect include phenol and cresol. Therefore particularly useful glucuronides for use in the process of the present invention include phenol-~-D-glucuronic acid and cresol-~-D-glucuronic acid.
Other steps for increasing ~-glucuronidase activity at the tumor~cells may also be undertaken. One method of doing this is to elevate the temperature of the toxic cells ' 1~481;~86 at the tim~ o~ treatment. This may be done by elevating the temperature of the entire body such as by use of a pyrogenic drug or by elevating the temperature soley in the area of the toxic cells, such as by microwave radiation or electrical current. Raising of the temperature increases ~-glucuron-idase activity thereby-increasing the efficiency of the deconjugation of the glucuroni.des. It is known that an elevation of temperature of 3C increases ~-glucuronidase activity by 50%.
Known pyrogenic drugs include etiocholanolone, progesterone, dinitrophenol, dinitrocresol, etc. Both dinitrophenol and dinitrocresol are also cytotoxic, as will be discussed hereinbelow. Therefore the use of these compounds are preferred, especially when administered as the glucuronide. This gives the result that when the glucuronide is deconjugated at the tumor site the aglycone will act not only to denature the cytoplasmic protein but also to raise the temperature directly in the region of the tumor cells thus greatly increasing the efficiency of further deco~jugation. .
~ch~
Local ~ ~ lothcrmia in the region of suspected tumor cells is preferred to general hyperthermia because general hyperthermia will also increase the ~-glucuronidase activity in healthy cells. However, because of the alka-linization step this is not a major problem. If the hyper-thermia is local, then this provides an additional degree of certainty that the glucuronides will only become deconjugated at the tumor site. The application of micro-wave treatment directed at the suspected tumor site is one way to achieve local hyperthermia. Due to the different electrical resistence o tutnor cells, another method of achieving some degree of local hyperthermia is by administering a low electrical current through the body.

.~ '` ' . ' ~ `:

.

1148~86 A further manner of increasing ~-glucurondase acitivity selectively at tumor cells is by administration of estro&en to female patients or testosterone to male patients. It has been reported that these compounds induce ~-glucuronidase activity in trophoblastic cells. Certain tumor cells are known to be trophoblastic; t'nis method would thus be particularly useful for those cells. The alkalinization step would prevent damage to healthy trophoblastic cells.
Another feature of the present invention relates to the process of preparing the glucuronides. It has been discovered that it is impossible to prepare conjugates of glucuronic acid by the classical methods when the aglycone is a strong electron acceptor, as these compounds must first be prepared-as the metnyl ester of the glucuronic acid and it is not possible by the classical methods to convert the methyl ester to the acid without deconjugating the aglycone. While barium methoxide has been suggested for this purpose in a related process in U. ~. patent No.
2,985,664, it has been discovered that barium methoxide will not work. However, it has now been discovered that if barium hydroxide is used, the methyl ester of the agly-cone of the glucuronide may be converted to the barium salt, and the barium salt may be converted to the free acid by the use of sulfuric acid without deconjugation of the glu-curonide. Moreover, removal of the acetyl protecting groups is accomplished in the same step, thus eliminating the need of a separate step to accomplish this function.
This novel step using barium hydroxide may also be used in the chemical synthesis of mandelonitrile ~-D-glu-curonic acid. However, this process will fail when attempting to synthesize mandelonitrile ~-D-glucuronic acid because when attempting to condense the methyl (tri-0-acetyl ~-D-glucopyranosyl) halide-uronate with mandelonit~ile, the , .
.

- .;.
~ ; .

114~86 mandelonitrile will tend to polymerize rather than to create the hemi-acetal bond with the glucuronic acid.
The method of synthesis of mandelonitrile ~-D-glucuronic acid in accordance with the present invention comprises first converting mandelic acid to mandelic amide by reaction with gaseous ammonia. The mandelic amide is then reacted with the methyl (tri-O-acetyl ~-D-glucopyranosyl) bromide-uronate to produce the`methyl ester of the mandelic amide triacetyl glucuronic acid. This compound may then be mixed with acetic anhydride to convert the mandelic amide to mandelonitrile. Treatment with barium hydroxide and sulfuric acid will produce the mandelonitrile ~-D-glucuronic acid.
Another feature of the present invention resides in an additional safety feature by which the healthy tissues of the body are protected against possible release of hydrogen cyanide from nitrile-containing aglycones. This feature is preferably in addition to the feature disclosed hereinabove with respect to pH adjustment. Even with such protection against deconjugation of the glucuronide at areas of the body other than tumors, concern has been expressed about possible cyanide poisoning when using nitrile-containing glucuronides. For example, in Schmidt, E.S., et al. J.A.M.A. 239 (10):943-7, 6 March 78, it was predicted that there will be an increased incidence of cyanide poison-ing in man as Laetrile (amygdalin) becomes more readily available. It is not known whether it is the entire nitrile-containing aglycone, mandelonitrile, which exerts the toxic effect on the tumor cells, or whether it is the hydrogen cyanide which is released upon the decomposition of mandelonitrile. It is theorized, however, that it is the entire nitrile-containing aglycone which exerts the toxic e~fect on the tumor cells. ~herefore, it is important to protect the rest of the body against possible release of hydrogen cyanide from the nitrile-containing aglycones.

:

1148~86 This is accomplished in accordance with the present invention by the concurrent administration of sodium thiosulfate when glucuronides of nitrile-containing aglycones are used. It i9 well known that sodium thiosulfate is an antidote for cyanide poisoning.
Sodium thiosulfate in the presence of the enzyme rhodanase conve ts hydrogen cyanide to sodium thiocy-anate.
It is believed that the concurrent administration of sodium-thiosulfate will not affect the toxicity of the aglycone at the cancer site for two reasons. First,, even in the presence of rhodanase, sodium thiosulfate wilI not affect the mandelonitrile molecule itself.
Therefore, if it is the entire mandelonitrile molecule which is toxic to the cancer cells, then the presence of sodium thiosulfate will not affect this toxicity. ' Furthermore, even if it is the hydrogen cyanide which is toxic to the cancer cells when released at the site of the cancer cells, it has been suggested in the literature that cancer cells do not contain rhodanase. See Lupo, M. et al, "Critical Review of Studies on Malignant Diseases," Minerva Med. 67 (30) 1973-1981, 1976. There-fore, the concurrent administration of sodium thicsulfate will protect normal cells against cyanide poisoning but will not affect the attack of the cyanide'on the tumor cells.
In v~w of the relative lack of toxicity of glucuro-nide compounds, and in view of the mechanism of the present invention by which the toxic aglycone is released only at the tumor site,-and further in view of the protection of the present invention against possible hydrogen cyanide release at other parts of the body, it is entirely possible to use glucuronides of other toxic nitrile-contalning agly~ones in the process of the present invention. One - ~ .

.

~8 ~8 6 such compound is methacrylonitrile ~-D-glucuronic acid.
Because of the acid-alkaline differentiation be~ween the tumor cells and the rest of the body achiev-able by the process of thepresent invention, it is pos-sible to use certain compounds which denature cytoplasmicproteins or affect the energy supply of the cells directly.
without first conjugating with the glucuronic acid. This can only be done, however, if the compound is one whose activity or solubility is pH-dependent. Examples of such compounds are 2,4-dinitro-phenol; chloro-m-cresol; 4,6-dinitro-o-cresol; 4-chloro-3,5-xylanol; chlorothymol;
2-phenyl-6-chlorop-nenol; 5-chloro-7-iodo-8-quinolinol; and podophyllotoxin. The use of these compounds directly without first conjugating with glucuronic acid would be particularly useful in treating tumors with no demonstrated ~-glucuronidase activity.
Another feature of the present invention is related to the extremely high tumor selectivity which is achievable in accordance with the present invention. In view of the selectivity, if one or more of the atoms of the aglycone is exchanged with a radioactive isotope, a local radioactivity can be exerted. This method is not only important for diagnostic purposes to trace the tumor and its metastases, but if an isotope is chosen with ~-radiation activity, then this method may also be used for local radiation treatment at the cancer site. This use of radioactive isotopes is particularly important when using an aglycone which is known to be non-polar in acid condition and polar in alka-line condition. When this quality exists, the aglycone is accumulated at the cancer site not only because of the ~-glucuronidase activity, but also because of its insolubil-ity in water at the cancer site. At the same time, t.he compounds with the radioactive isotopes are washed away from the rest of the body. The use of p-iodophenol ~-D-glu-curonic acid produces an aglycone, p-iodophenol, which fulfils these demands. A radioactive isotope of iodine can ~481;~36 be used as the iodine cons~ituent of this compound. It is preferable to use ~ 3 II for labelling and ~ 3 3 I for treatment, as the former is richer in gamma radiation while the latter is richer in beta radiation. In order to prevent the iodine from migrating to the thyroid gland, premedication with non-radioactive Lugol's solution may be used for saturating the thyroid gland.
Another compound which can be easily radioactive labelled is the glucuronide of phenylsulfazole. A radio-active sulfur atom can be used. This compound does notmigrate to the thyroid gland, and the aglycone is not soluble in water.
Before treatment of patients in accordance with the present invention, it should be ascertained that the particular type of tumor involved has high ~-glucuronidase activity. This may be done in a number of ways. One way is to assay tumor cells obtained in a biopsy for ~-glucuroni-dase activity. If such a test is positive, then the pharma-ceutical compositions of the present invention may be administered.
A second method is the administration of a glucu-ronide whose aglycone has been labelled with a radio-active isotope. If upon a full body scan it is found that the radioisotope is accumulated at any specific areas of the body, then this will indicate not only the location of the tumor but the fact that the tumor has sufficient ~-glucu-ronidase activity to deconjugate the glucuronide. After this has been determined, the appropriate amount of the glucuronide of choice may be administered. If there are no tumors present, or if the tumors are of the type which do not have ~-glucuronidase activity, then there will be no accumulation of radioisotope in the body as the alkaliniza-tion step of the present invention eliminates all usual ~-glucuronidase activity and the isotope will be passed through the body.

11~8~86 Another method of diagnosing tumors which are treatable by means of the present invention is to test for the presence of free glucuronic acid in the urine.
While the presence of glucuronides in the urine is common, the presence of free glucuronic acid in the urine, and particularly the presence of increasing amounts of glucuronic acid when tested over a period of several days, is a potent indication of the presence of tumors with ~-glucuronidase activity. It is hypothesized that the presence of free glucuronic ~cid in the urine in the cancer patients is caused by the action of ~-glucu-ronidase in the cancer cells on the intercellular filaments and connective tissue. Glucuronic acid is a reaction product of such activity because the intercellular filaments and connective tissue are composed of polymers of which glucuronic acid is an element and which are known substrates for the enzyme ~-glucuronidase.
A method of distinguishing free glucuronic acid from conjugated glucuronides in the urine is another feature of the present invention. Both glucuronides and glucuronic acid give a chromogenic complex with tetraborate in concen-trated sulfuric acid which reacts with m-hydroxydiphenyl to create a colored water-soluble complex. When lead acetate is added at an alkaline pH, the glucuronides precipitate and the addition of ditizone (dithiosemicarbizone) makes a stable complex with the excess lead. Accordingly, an optical reading may be taken representative of the amounts of total glucuronides and free glucuronic acid after tetraborate and m-hydroxydiphenyl have been added. A
second reading may then be taken after the conjugated glucuronides and excess lead have been removed from the aqueous phase by the addition of basic lead acetate and after ditizone has been added. Alternatively, the conju-gated glucuronides can be removed by reaction with bar;um hydroxide. The addition of barium hydroxide to the urine sample will cause pFecipitation of the conjugated glucuron-, ~1481386-17 -ides but not of the free glucuronic acid. After centrifugation and filtration the conjugated glucuronides are eliminated and what remains is only the free glucuronic acid. A reading representative of the amount of free glucuronic acid may then be taken. This alternative procedure bypasses the necessity of the use of ditizone.
Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention While many glucuronide compounds having aglycones which are toxic to cancer cells have been described theoretically in the literature, very few have actually been produced. This is because they are very difficult to synthesize, particularly when t'ne aglycone is a strong electron acceptor. The improved method of the present invention avoids the problem and permits the production of conjugates of glucuronic acid of almost any type of aglycone. The standard methods can be used to form the methyl ester of the triacetyl glucuronic acid conjugate~
but it is often quite difficult to go from the triacetyl methyl ester to the glucuronic acid conjugate. This problem has been solved by treatment in accordance with the process of the present invention.
The glucuronides in accordance with the present invention and for use in ~he process of the present invention, may be synthesized from methyl (tri-O-acetyl-~-D-gluco-pyranosyl bromide)-uronate which is the active glucuronic acid and is formed in accordance with the teachings of Bollenback, G.N., et al, J. Am. Chem. Soc.
77,3310, (1955). This compound is condensed with the aglycone in a solution of quinoline, phenol, methyl cyanide or methyl nitrite catalyzed by silver oxide or silver carbonate. Another method of condensation is to use sodiu~ or potassium hydroxide as the condensing agent in aqueous acetone solution. The reaction scheme is illustrated as follows:

. , `` 1148~86 COt lCH3 COOCH3 AFO AcO
OAc OAc wherein ROH is the desired aglycone.
If the methyl ester of the glucuronide is desired, the protecting acetic acid groups may be removed by anhydrous sodium methoxide or anhydrous barium methoxide in accordance with the following reaction:

COOCH3 . `
~0 - R ~ ~- O - - R (Il) AcO
C~c OH
The acid may be produced by reacting the triacetyl methyl ester with barium hydroxide to produce the barium 1~ salt in accordance with the following reaction:
tCOOCH3 COOBa~

B AcO~ Ba ~OH) 2 ~ ~$~ (III) OAc OH -This barium salt of the glucuronide pxecipitates. An equimolar solution of sulfuric acid releases the free glucur-onide according to the following reaction:
COOBa j~ C:OOH

HOK~ NO~
OH
..jt 11~8V86 Example I shows the preparation of 2,4-dinitro phenol-~-D-glucuronic acid.
Example I - Synthesis of 2,4-Dinitrophenol-g-D-~lucuronic cid .
Methyl-(2,3,4-tri-0-acetyl-~-D-glucopyranosyl bromide)-uronate was prepared in accordance with the process of Bollenback, G.N., et al, J. Am. Chem.__oc. 77, 3310 (1955). Four grams of methyl (tri-0-acetyl-~-D-glucopyranosyl bromide)-uronate in acetone (80 ml) and 8.9g 2,4-dinitro-phenol were treated with 5N potassium hydroxide (9 ml) and the solution kept at 25C for 24 hours, then diluted with

3 volumes chloroform. The chloroform-acetone layer was washed with water and dried. Removal of the solvent and two recrystallizations from acetone yielded the methyl-2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-~-D-glucopyranosyl uronate of 2,4-dinitro-phenol.
The free acid form of the compound was formed by treating the 2,4-dinitrophenyl-methyl(tri-0-acetyl-~-D-glu-copyranosyl bromide)-uronate with a one-half molar amount of barium hydroxide to produce the barium salt. This barium salt of the glucuronide precipitates as a white amorphous material. An equimolar solution of H2S04 releases the free glucuronide. Distillation of the supernatant yielded bright yellow-brown crystals having a melting point of 179-180C. This compound was incubated with ~-glucuronidase and produced 2,4-dinitrophenol, thus confirming that the final product is indeed 2,4-dinitrophenol-~-D-glucuronic acid.
The other glucuronides in accordance with the present invention, e.g. chloro-m-cresol-~-D-glucuronic acid; 4,6-dinitro-o-cresol-~-D-glucuronic acid; 4-chloro-3,5,-xylanol-~-D-glucuronic acid; chlorothymol-~-D-glucuro-nic acid; 2-phenyl-6-chlorophenol-~-D-glucuronic a~id; 5-chloro-7-iodo-8-quinolinol-~-D-glucuronic acid; and podo-phyllotoxin-~ D-glucuronic acid, as well as p-iodophenol-~-D-glucuronic acid and phenylsulfazole-~-D-glucuronic acid, may be made in a similar manner by reacting a stoichiometric `" 1148~86 excess of the aglycone with the methyl-(tri-0-acetyl-~-D-glu-copyranosyl bromide)-uronate in 5 normal potassium hydroxide and maintaining the reaction solution at room temperature for 24 hours. The solution is then diluted with 3 volumes chloroform and the chloroform-acetone layer washed with water and dried. After removal of the solvent, the crystals which are obtained are treated with a one half molar amount of barium hydroxide to produce the barium salt which is then treated with an equimolar solution of sulfuric acid to pro-duce the free glucuronide.
The free acid form of the glucuronide, or a saltthereof which will ionize at the conditions of use, is the preferred form of the compounds to be used in accordance with the present invention. However, pharmaceutically ac-ceptable esters may also be used, although in most cases itwould be expected that their activity would be somewhat lower due to their relatively lower affinity to ~-glucuronidase.
This is particularly true with respect to aglycones which are strong electron acceptors. Accordingly, whenever the term "glucuronide compound" is used in the present specifi-cation and claims it is understood to include not onLy the free glucuronic acid form of the conjugate but also pharma-ceutically acceptable salts and esters thereof as discussed hereinabove, both in this and subsequent examples.
Example II - SYnthesis of Mandelonitrile~ -D-~lucuronic Acid Mandelonitrile ~-D-glucuronic acid may be synthesized, in accordance with the present invention, from methyl - (tri-O-acetyl-~-D-glucopyranosyl bromide)-uronate, which is the active form of glucuronic acid, and may be produced in accordance with the teachings of Bollenback, G.N., et al, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 77, 3310, (1955). Since this compound cannot be directly conjugated with mandelonitrile, mandelic amide is first formed. This compound is ~ormed by bubbling gaseous NH3 into mandelic acid at 0C as illustrated in reaction:

1~48~8 H H

~ 0'C ~

The mandelic amide is introduced to the ~ethyl (tri-O-acetyl ~-D-glucopyranosyl) bromide uronate in a solution of phenol catalyzed by a small catalytic amount of silver 5 oxide. Besides phenol, there may be used, as solvent, quinoline, methyl nitrile or methyl cyanide. Silver car-bonate may also be used as the catalyst. Another method of condensation is to use sodium or potassium hydroxide as the condensing agent in aqueous acetone solution. A
10 stoichiometric excess of mandelic amide is preferably used.
The reaction solution is maintained at room temperature for 24 hours or until the reaction is complete. The reaction is illustrated as follows:

H - H
' 1, ' I ~
C:OOCH ~ COOCH - - COWH
3 HO - C - CONH2 3 _ 2 - AcO~
OAC
~5 The above solution is then mixed with acetic anhydr-ide in 1:1 molar ratio and heated to 70C for 30 minutes in order to convert the mandelic amide to the mandelo-nitrile in accordance with the following reaction:

.
. .
, :, ~

!

1148~86 H

H COOCE~
COOCH
3 - O - C - C~l AcO op":: AcO OAc .

The acid is produced by reaction of the triacetyL
methyl ester obtained by reaction (III) with a 1/2 molar amount of 0.5 N barium hydroxide which is added slowly to this solution to form a white precipitate. Preferably an excess of barium hydroxide is added until there is no more precipitation. The reaction can be illustrated as follows:

- H H
COOCM3 I COOBa~
--O - C -- CN --O-C-CN
~ ~ ¦ sa~o~2 ~ ~ ~ (IV) AcO HO
OAc OH

,,: ... . ....

, . . .
,~ .

, 1~48~86 The addition of 0.5N sulfuric acid, volume to volume, then ~ooling in ice water for 20 minutes, relases the free glucuronides according to the following reaction:

COOBa~
COOH
O - C - CN O- C-CN

¦~-- ¦ H2S04 1/ o~ ~ BaSO

110~ N~
OH . ,i ~j The mixture is then filtered and the supernatant is dried in vacuum and crystallized from ether. Il ~xample III - Synthesis of Methacrylonitrile ~-D-Glucuronic Acid Methacrylonitrile ~-D-glucuronic acid or other glucuronides of nitrile~containing cytotoxic compounds may be produced in accordance with the present invention in a manner gimilar to that disclosed in Example Ii though the step of converting the methacrylonitrile ~o methacrylamide prior to condensation with methyl(tri-0-acetyl-a-D-glucopyranosyl bromide)-uronate will not be necessary as there is not the same polymerization problem with methacrylonitrile as there is with mandelonitrile.
In general, the preferred proc,ess when condensing the B aglycone directly, is to re ~ the stoichiometric excess of the aglycone (methacrylonitrile in the case of methacrylonitrile ~-D-glucuronic acid) with the methyl (tri-0-acetyl~ glucopyranosyl bromide)-uronate in 5 N potas-sium hydroxide and maintaining the reaction solution at room temperature for 24 hours. The solution is then diluted with 3 volumes chloroform and the chloroform-acetone layer .- :

. ; `~, ' , ' ' ':

:~ ' 1148~86 washed with water and dried. After removal of the solvent, the crystals which are obtained are treated with a one half molar amount of barium hydro~ide to produce the barium salt which is then treated with an equimolar solution of sul-furic acid to produce the free glucuronide.
Exam~le IV - Acute Intravenous Toxocity to Rabbits of Mandelonitrile ~-D-Glucuronic Acid NZW rabbits in the weight range of 2,000 to 3,200 g for females and 2,200 to 3,800 g for males were injected intravenously with mandelonitrile ~-D-glucuronic acid solution. Rabbits injected with saline alone served as the control. The mandelonitrile ~-D-glucuronic acid solution contained 10% mandelonitrile.
During the 14 day observation period a record was kept of all mortalities and signs of toxicity. Table I
gives the range finding screen.
Table I - Mortality Data for Groups of Rabbits (2 per Group) Intravenously injected with DMBG Solution.
Ran~e Finding Screen 20 Dosage Mortality Ratio mllkg no. of deàths/
no dosed .
0.25 0/2 1.0 2/2 2.0 2/2 25 4.0 2/2 The results of the preliminary range finding tests as shown in Table I indicated that the median lethal intravenous dose (LD-50) was in the region of 0.23 - 2 ml per kg body weight.
Dosing was then extended to larger groups of rabbits (5 males and 5 females per group) in order to locate the median lethal dose more precisely. Table II gives mortality data for this larger group.

' ' ' -- -`` ~14~3086 Table II - Mortality Ratio of Rabbits Intravenously Injected with DMBG Solution. Full Scale Test - Weight range: Females 2,000-3,200 g, Males 2,200-3,800 g.
Dosage Mortality ratio Time of death after dosing ml/kg No. of deaths/
No. dosed No. of animals No of hours Males 0.44 0/5 0.66 2/5 2 < 3 1.0 3/5 3 < 3 1.5 4/5 4 < '3 - 2.25 5l5 5 < 3 Females 0.44 0/5 0.66 2/5 2 < 3 1.0 5/5 5 < 3 1.5 5/5 5 < 3 2.25 5l5 5 ~ 3 Signs of reaction to treatment, observed 2 minutes after dosing, incIuded ataxia and paralysis. Two minutes later a few animals of the high dose group died. All the deaths of all the groups occurred within 3 hours after dosing. The animals which survived did not show any clini-cal symptoms during the following 14 days. Autopsy of all animals did not show clear gross pathological changes.
The acute median lethal intravenous dose (LD 50) and its 95% confidence limints calculated by the method of i Weil, Ç.~. 1952, Biometrics, 8:249, to rabbits of 1 2 mQV~Jon.
J ; mandc~o nitrilc ~-D-glucuronic acid 10% solution are calcu-lated to be:
Males: 0.84187 (0.78087-0.90287) ml/kg body weight Females: 0.6873 (0.64417-0.73043) ml/kg body weight - From the above data, it is believed that the maximum safe dose is on the order of 0.44 ml/kg body weight, and it is believed that this limit should not be exceeded in human therapy.
:.

.. . . . ~ , .

. . , . ~ .
-: ~ .. ...
' 1~48086 Prior to therapeutic treatment with compounds of the presen~ invention, the presence of tumor having high ~-glucuronidase activity must be diagnosed. The most posi-tive way to definitively ascertain whether a tumor is present having high ~-glucuronidase activity is to conduct a biopsy and to assay the tumor cells obtained for ~-glucu-ronidase activity. This, of course, is not feasible for most kinds of tumor. Another way to diagnose for the presence of tumors having ~-glucuronidase activity, is to conduct a urine test in order to determine the presence of free glucuronic acid. Normal patients show between 200 to 400 mg per 24 hours of free glucuronic acid in the urine.
Cancer patients with well developed tumors which have ~-glucuronidase acitivity will show greater than 2,000 to 7,000 mg per 24 hours free glucuronic acid. Accordingly, using the test of the present invention, if substantially more than 400 mg per 24 hours of free glucuronic acid is shown, then this is an excellent indication of the presence of tumors having high ~-glucuronidase activity.
A negative indication on this urine test will not conclusively rule out the presence of tumors having ~-glucuronidase activity, because tumors in their initial stages, though they might have ~-glucuronidase activity, might not release sufficient free glucuronic acid to cause a positive reading of the urine. Therefore, the urine test should be repeated, and if an increasing amount of free glucuronic acid is found, then this is another indication of the presence of a tumor having ~-glucuronidase activity.
An example of the method of determining the amount of free glucuronic acid in the urine is given in Example V .
-~xample V - Test for;Glucuronic ~cid in ~Jrine Both glucuronides and glucuronic acid give a chromo-genic comp~ex with tetraborate and concentrated sulfuric acid which reacts with m-hydroxydiphenyl to create a colored water-soluble complex. Furthermore, glucuronides precipi-., 1148~86 tate with basic lead acetate when pH is 8, while the free glucuronic acid is not affected by the lead acetate.
Complexing the excess lead with dithiocarbizone forms a stable complex with lead which can be removed, thus leaving free glucuronic acid.
To 10 cc of a urine sample 0.1 N ammonium'nydroxide is added until a pH of 8 is reached. An excess of saturated solution of basic lead acetate is then added causing pre-cipitation of the conjugated glucuronides. The sample is then centrifuged and the supernatent separated. Two cc of the supernatant is then treated with 10 cc of 10% dithio-carbizone (ditizone) in chloroform in order to remove the excess lead. After waiting until the separation is complete, the aqueous phase is separated. To 0.2 cc of the aqueous phase is added 1.2 cc of sodium tetraborate in concentrated H2SO4. The mixture is mixed well in a test tube and chilled in crushed ice. The test tube is then heated for 5 minutes in boiling water and immediately cooled in ice until it becomes cold. Twenty microliters of 0.15% m-hydroxydiphenyl in 0.5% NaOH is then added. After waiting S minutes, the optical density is read at a wave-length of 5200 A. The reading obtained represents the amount of free glucuronic acid present in the urine.
The total amount of free and conjugated glucuronic acid is simply determined by directly treating the sample with tetraborate and hydroxydiphenyl, without first,removing the free glucuronides. Reading at a wavelength of 5200 A
will give the indication of the total amount of conjugated glucuronides and free glucuronic acid which is present.
Example ~A - Test for Glucuronic Acid in Urine . . .
To 10 cc of a urine sample 0.1 N ammonium hydroxide is added until a pH of 8 is reached. An excess of barium hydroxide is then added causing precipitation of the conjugated glucuronides. The sample is then centrifuged and the supernatant filtered. To 0.2 cc of the filtered super-natant is added 1.2 cc of sodium tetraborate in concentrated .

~148086 H2SO4. The mixture is mixed well in a test tube and chilled in crushed ice. The test tube is then heated for 5 minutes in boilin~ water and immediately cooled in ice until it becomes cold. Twenty microliters of 0.15% m-hydroxydiphenyl in 0.5% NaOH is then added.
After waiting 5 minutes, the optical density is read at a wavelength of 5200 A. The reading obtained represents the amount of free glucuronic acid present in the urine.
The relative amount of the total of conjugated glucuronides and free glucuronic acid which is present may be read in the same manner as set forth hereinabove in Example V.
Example VI - Method of Administration of Glucuronide Therapy After it has been determined that the patient has a tumor with ~-glucuronidase activity, the first step of the treatment is to give him a dose of glucose as, for éxample, 100 g of honey, glucose or other sugar. Approxi-mately 1 hour laterj an intravenous drip is begun of asolution in distilled water containing approximately 10%
glucose and 60 milli-equivalents sodium bicarbonate.
Approximately 1 liter is administered, assuming no contra-indications, and the pH of the urine is checked to determine that it has reached a pH of approximately 7.4. This will establish that the system has become alkalinized and it is now safe to administer the glucuronide. Another liter of the same glucose-bicarbonate solution, but also including the desired amount of glucuronide, is then administered.
This is repeated daily as needed. ~en a glucuronide of a nitrile-containing cytotoxic aglycone is being used, immediately before, during or after administration of the glucuronide,50 cc of a 25% solution of sodium thiosulfate is administered, preferably intravenously by slow drip.
The sodium thiosulfate is preferably included in the glucose-bicarbonate-glucuronide solution which is being dripped intravenously. However, it may also be continued afterward for a greater margin of safety.

. . , , . j . ............ , .... . . . .. ,., ." . ~ ,. , .

If there are contraindications for the administra-tion of bicarbonate, then antacid may be orally administered.
The important criterion is that the pH of the urine become approximately 7.4 and remain so during treatment.
The hyperacidification of the tumor cells is caused by a hyperglycemic condition in the patient. Therefore any hyperglycemic agent may be used as the hyperacidifica-tion agent, as for example, fructose, galactose, lactose or glucagon. Furthermore, it should be understood that this hyperglycemic condition may be effected in any known manner.
For example, if the patient is diabetic then the condition can be brought about by decreasing the insulin administra-tion.
Any agent which will raise the pH of the urine to approximately 7.4 can be used as the alkalinizing agent, including sodium or potassium bicarbonate or citrate, or other basic salts or antacids. While it is preferred that these be administered intravenously, they may be administer-ed orally~
When the term "approximately 7.4" is used in the present specification and claims, with respect to the pH
level to be maintained in the rest of the body, it should be understood that a pH level slightly above or below 7.4 may be used, although not preferred. As the pH decreases from 7.4 the ~-glucuronidase activity increases (until the optimal pH is reached). Furthermore, below pH 7.0 the rest of the body will not be alkaline but will be acid. Above 7.4 the danger of alkalosis increases without any substantial further decrease in i~-glucuronidase activity. A pH level of 7.4 is preferred as this is physiological pH and cannot be harmful to the body, and it is known that the ~-glucuronidase activity in healthy organs is substantially nil at this pH
level.
The dosage of the glucuronides should be monitored to avoid any side effects due to the massive release of toxins caused by the dying cancer cells. It may be preferable to .

.

1~48~86 to treat with glucuronides in short courses of several days, leaving several days in between, to allow any toxins released by the dying cancer cells to leave the body before the further treatment continues.
Besides intravenous administration, the glucuronides may be administered by any means of parenteral administration.
However, the glucuronides should not be administered orally as it is known that ~-glucuronidase is present in the digestive tract. The sodium thiosulfate, however, can be administered orally if a proper enteric coating is provided to avoid release in the stomach.
The amount of glucuronide to be administered to any given patient must be determined empirically and will differ depending on the condition of the patient. Relatively small amounts of glucuronide can be administered at first with steadily increasing daily dosages if no adverse effects are noted. Of course, the maximum safe toxicity dosage as determined in routine animal toxicity tests should never be exceeded.
It is clear that any tumor cells having ~-glucuroni-dase activity may be treatable in accordance with the present invention with the remaining organs of the body being protected by the alkalinization step. Tumors which are known to have ~-glucuronidase activity include solid breast tumors and their metastases, bronchogenic carcinoma and its metatases, and lymphomas. It is also known that neoplasms that do not have high ~-glucuronidase activity, and therefore cannot be treated in accordance with the present invention, include leukemia. It must be understood, however, that this list is not meant to be complete, and that the prior art is aware of many other tumors that have ~-glucuronidase activity. However, whether or not the art is presently aware that any ~iven tumor has ~-glucuronidase activity, this can be determined by any o~
the various methods of diagnosis discussed in the present speci-fication and if it is determined that the tumor does have~-glucuronidase activity, the therapeutic treatment of the present invention can be effectively used.

~ nen it is desired to induc~ hyperthermia to increase ~-glucuronidase activity, a method should be selected by which the te~perature is raised as much as possible without risking damage to healthy portions of the body, such as the eyes. An increase of about 2C for whole body hyper-thermia and as much as 4.5C for local hyperthermia is preferred. The hyperthermia should be timed to last about an hour at the time of greatest glucuramide concentration at the tumor site. For example, when local microwave treatment is selected, it should begin about one half hour after commencement of the intravenous glucuronimide drip and bé~
continued for about an hour. The proper dosage of known pyrogens to achieve the desired degree of hyperthermia would be known to those skilled in the art or could be easily empirically determined. A dosage of about 30 mg/day for dinitraphenol, for example, would be apt.
When estrogen or testosterone are to be administered, a dosage of 5-15 mg/body wt/day would provide the desired inducement of ~-glucuronidase activity.
Example VII - Method of A~ninistration of Radioisotopes If an aglycone labelled with a radioactive isotope is to be administered, the labelling may be accomplished by ~ny method known per se. For diagnostic purposes only, - relatively small amounts of these labelled glucuronides may be administered. They are otherwise administered in the same manner as set forth in Example VI for non-labelled glucuronides. Scanning of the body to determine whether any of the radio-labelled aglycone is retained by the body will indicate whether a tumor is present having ~-gluduroni-dase activity and will also indicate where the tumor or anymetastases thereof may be found. As noted above, gamma ray emitting isotopes, such as 1 3 lI, are par~icularly suitable for this purpose.
The radio-labelled glucuronides may aIso be used for in situ radiation therapy, particularly if an isotope is "` 114~ 86 used having high beta-radiation activity, such as 133I.
This wîll give the dual effect of attacking the cancer cells not only with the toxic aglycones but also with the beta-radiation. Again, the method of administration will be the same as set forth in Example VI.
Another utility for the present invention is the use of the boron-containing aglycone. It is already known that if boron atoms are bombarded with neutrons, they will break into lithium with the consequent release of positrons. If the boron atoms are attached to tumor tissue at the time, the positrons will be abruptly absorbed by the tumor tissue which uill be lethal thereto. This process will have outstanding utility when the boron atoms are concentrated exclusively at the tumor cells in accordance with the process of the present invention.
Example VIII - Method of Administration of pH DePendent Therapy If the tumor cells are hyperacidified and the healthy tissue alkalinized in accordance with the method set forth in Example VI, an acid-alkaline pH differential will be created between the tumor cells and healthy cells. Thus, compounds whose activity or solubility is pH-dependent may be administered directly, without first conjugating with a glucuronide. Such compounds will selectively attack the acidified tumor cells without harming the remainder of the body which has an alkaline pH.
As in the method of Example VI, the patient is first given an oral dose of hyperglycaemic agent, such as 100 g of honey, glucose or other sugar. Approximately 1 hour later, an intravenous drip is begun of a solution in distilled water containing approximately 10% glucose and 60 milliequivalents sodium bicarbonate. Appro~imately l liter is administered, assuming no contraindications, and the pH of the urine is checked to determine that it has reached a pH of appro~imately 7.4. This will establish . ' .
' :~

" ~148~86 that the system has become alkalinized and it is now safe to administer the acid-active compound. Another liter o the same glucose-bicarbonate solution, but also in-cluding the desired amount of acid-active compound, is then administered. This is repeated daily as neededO
Compounds such as 2,4-dinitrophenol; 4,6-dinitro-o-cresol; 4-chloro-3,5-xylanol; chlorothymol; 2-phenyl-6-chlorophenol; 5-chloro-7-iodo-8-quinolinol and podophyllo-toxin are all water soluble at alkaline pH's and lipid-sol-uble at acid pH's. Therefore, if the compounds are adminis-tered in the manner discussed above they will not create substantial harm to healthy tissue because they will be washed through the system relatively quickly. At the site of tumor tissue with acid pH, however, these compounds will come out of water solution and exert their cytotoxic or energy-supply effecting action on the tumor cells.
Compounds such as chloro-m-cresol, as well as 4,6-dinitro-o-cresol, 4-chloro-3,5-xylanol, chlorothymol and 2-phenyl-6-chlorophenol are more active at lower pH. There-fore, administration of these compounds with concomitanthyperacidification of the tumor cells and alkalinization of the remainder of the body will be even less harmful to healthy tissue, as their activity is dimished at the pH
of the healthy tissue.
The dosage of the non-glucuronide compounds in accordance with this embodiment of the present invention will generally be somewhat less than the corresponding glucuro-nides as the glucuronide form of the compounds is substan-tially less toxic than the free compounds. The precise dosage must be determined empirically depending on the condition of the patient. Relatively small doses should be administered at first with steadily increasing daily dosage if no adverse effects are noted. Of course, the maximum safe toxicity dosage as determined in routine animal toxicity tests should never be exceeded.

~148~86 Alternative acidifying and alkalinizing agents, as discussed hereinabove with respect to the glucuronide em-bodiment, may also be used with the present embodiment.
Example IX - Method of Anti-Bacterial Administration Glucuronide administration may be used in the treat-ment of bacterial infections if the bacteria involved are known to have ~-glucuronidase activity. Examples of such bacteria are streptococci, staphylococci, and E. coli. The method of treatment of such bacterial infections will be similar to the method set forth in Example VI except that no hyperacidification will be necessary. This is so be-cause bacterial ~-glucuronidase is active at higher pH
levels than ~-glucuronidase of normal healthy internal organs. Furthermore, such a hyperacidification step would not affect the pH of the bacteria as its mechanism is spe-cific to tumor cells.
The first step in antibacterial administration is an intravenous drip of distilled water and 60 milliequivalents sodium bicarbonate. Approximately one liter is administered and the pH of the urine is checked to determine that it has reached a pH of approximately 7.4. Another liter of the same bicarbonate solution, but also including the desired amount of glucuronide, is then administered in the same manner. This treatment may be repeated daily if necessary.
The alkalinizing agent may also be orally adminis-tered and any agent may be used that will alkalinize the body to an extent such that the pH of the urine becomes approximately 7.4. The ~lucuronide should not be administered orally but it may be administered by any means of parenteral administration.
Certain known anti-bacterial drugs having adverse side-effects may also be administered as glucuronides in accordance with the method of the present invention in order to reduce or eliminate these adverse effects. For example, 35 chloroamphenicol is kno~n to have a bone marrow depression effect which will not take place if the glucuronide is used.
Neomycin is a known antibacterial which cannot be administered 11~8~86 internally because of its toxicity. However, it can be orally administered for the treatment of infections of bacteria having high 3-glucuronidase activity if first conjugated to glucuronic acid.
The radioisotope-labelled aglycone diagnostic procedure ~discu~sed hereinabove with respect to tumor diagnosis may also be used to determine the existance and location of bacterial infections. For example, a patient complaining of pain in the area of the appendix can receive the radio-labelled glucuronides. If no accumulation of isotope is found in the area then inflammation caused by bacteria with ~-glucuronidase activity as a cause of the pain can be ruled out. In most instances inflammation in appendicitis is due to infection by bacteria with ~-glucuronidase activity.
Other use of such a diagnostic procedure would be obvious to those skilled in this art.
Besides the glucuronide compounds discussed herein-above, any known conjugatable antibiotic may be conjugated with glucuronic acid for use against ~-glucuronidase contain-ing infections. This has the advantage of greatly diminish-ing the amount of free antibiotic circulating in the blood stream. The only antibiotic which is released will be released at the site of the infection. Therefore much smaller dosages may be given. Accordingly, the glucuronides of the present invention can serve as an internally adminis-tered local antibiotic. Because of the known ~-glucuronidase activity in the digestion tract, no glucuronide should be administered orally, although any mode of parenteral administration is permissible.
If the antibiotic aglycone is known not to have any effect on the kidneys, then the alkalinization step can be eliminated. Many antibiotics, however, are known to be nephrotoxic to some extent and thus the alkalinization step is important to protect the kidneys.

,, ~ .

~48~86 Example ~ - Biosynthesis of Mandelonitrile ~-D-Glucuronic Acid A 22 cc solution of 5% mandelonitrile (benzaldehyde cyanohydrin) in propylene-glycol is prepared and an intra-muscular injection of this solution is given to a donkeyor a goat. The 24 hr. urine is collected and acidified with acetic acid until the pH becomes 4. The urine is then filtered through a fiberglass filter and the filtrate is treated in any one of the following three different ways:
A. A saturated solution of lead acetate is added to the filtrate. The white precipitate that appears is separated by centri~uge and filtered. The filtrate is alkalined with NH3 to pH 8 and then a saturated solution of basic lead acetate is added. The precipitate is washed with colder water and gaseous H2S is bubbled into it, the black precipitate of lead sulfide being separated. The filtrate is put into a vacuum until the volume is reduced to one third. A brown paste is achieved which is dissolved in absolute alcohol and kep overnight. The solution is filtered and the filtrate is vacuumized and ether added.
The mandelonitrile ~-D-glucuronic acid is crystallized from the ether solution.
B. The urine is acidified with hydrochloric acid to pH 4 and filtered through a fiberglass filter. After-wards, the solution is dried in a vacuum state and the residue is dissolved in ether and recrystallized from the ether solution.
C. 0.1 N barium hydroxide water solution is added to the urine. The white precipitate of the barium salt of the mandelonitrile glucuronide is then washed in cold water and stirred and 0.1 N sulfuric acid is added. An insoluble solution of barium sulfate is removed and the supernatant vacuum dried and then recrystallized from ether solution.

1~48~6 Since mandelonitrile is very toxic and only a very small amount can be administered, the following semi-bio-synthetic procedure may be used, 20 g mandelic amide (2-hydroxybenzamide) is mixed with goat or donkey food and the urine is collected for 24 hours. The mandelic amide glucuronide is separated by any of the methods described hereinabove. Acetic anhydride is then added and the glucuronide (2,3,4-triacetate glucopyra-nose mandelonitrile) is precipitated with barium hydroxide.
The barium is removed with sulfuric acid and the glucuro-nide is recovered in vacuum as describjed hereinabove.
It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the seope of the invention and the invention is not to be eonsidered limited to what is described in the specification.

Claims (9)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A selectively cytotoxically active combination of:
a hyperglycemic agent in an amount sufficient to hyperacidify tumor cells upon administration;
an alkalinizing agent in an amount sufficient to maintain the pH of non-tumor tissues at about 7.4 upon administration;
and an anti-tumor effective amount of a glucuronide compound the aglycone of which is toxic to tumor cells.

2. The combination of Claim 1, wherein said glucuronide compound is one in which the aglycone exerts a higher toxic effect in an acid environment than in an alkaline environment or is water-soluble in an alkaline environment and water-insoluble or only poorly water-soluble in an acid environment.

3. The combination of Claim 1, wherein the algycone of said glucuronide compound is nitrile containing, and further including sodium thiosulfate in an amount sufficient to serve as an antidote for cyanide poisoning.

4. The combination of Claim 3, wherein said glucuronide compound is selected from the group consisting of mandelonitrile .beta.-D-glucuronic acid and methacrylonitrile .beta.-D-glucuronic acid.

5. The combination of Claim 1, wherein the hyperglycemic agent is selected from the group consisting of glucose, fructose, galactose, lactose and glucagon.

6. The combination of Claim 1 or 5, wherein the aklalinizing agent is selected from the group consisting of sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium citrate and potassium citrate.

7. The combination of Claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the hyperglycemic agent is selected from the group consisting of glucose, fructose, galactose, lactose and glucagon.

8. The combination of Claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the aklalinizing agent is selected from the group consisting of sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium citrate and potassium citrate.

9. The combination of Claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the hyperglycemic agent is selected from the group consisting of glucose, fructose, galactose, lactose and glucagon, and wherein the alkalinizing agent is selected from the group consisting of sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium citrate and potassium citrate.