Exploring the Potential of Ester Prodrugs of NSAIDs: A Comprehensive Overview

Prodrugs are bioreversible compounds of pharmacologically active substances that must undergo an in vivo enzymatic and/or chemical change to release the parent drug and generate the intended effect. The drug's pharmacological activity is hidden in a prodrug and recovered via enzyme-mediated bioconversion. The utilization of the prodrug strategy enables the manipulation of a drug's solubility, chemical stability, reduce presystemic metabolism, andtargeting towards specific sites. Such one type of prodrugs are ester prodrugs, that are most commonly prepared by combining drugs with carboxylic acid group and drugs containing alcoholic or phenolic groups in different esterification conditions. There are literatures that extensively discuss NSAID-ester prodrugs. Esterification of NSAIDs masks the free carboxylic acid group, reducing gastrointestinal side effects. The sustained release can explain the reduced side effects. Ester prodrugs have the potential to be utilized for the purpose of modifying or altering drug characteristics, thus holding promise for future applications.