Mal-alkyl-NHS ester is a class of chemical compounds widely used in pharmaceutical research and development. This class of compounds contains a maleimide (Mal) functional group, an alkyl chain, and an N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) ester group.
The maleimide functional group is known for its high reactivity towards thiol groups (-SH) of proteins and peptides, forming stable thioether bonds. The alkyl chain acts as a linker, providing appropriate spacing between the maleimide group and the NHS ester group, which enables the conjugation of Mal-alkyl-NHS esters with a wide range of biomolecules.
The NHS ester group, on the other hand, is highly reactive towards amine groups (-NH2) of proteins, forming stable amide bonds. This unique reactivity allows for the selective conjugation of Mal-alkyl-NHS esters with amine-containing biomolecules, such as lysine residues in proteins or the N-terminus of peptides.
Mal-alkyl-NHS esters have found wide applications in pharmaceutical research and development, particularly in the development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), which are a class of targeted cancer therapeutics. ADCs combine the targeting ability of monoclonal antibodies with the cytotoxicity of small molecule drugs. Mal-alkyl-NHS esters are used to selectively conjugate the small molecule drug to the antibody, resulting in a stable and highly specific therapeutic agent.
