Figure 20.
(A) No hydrolytic cleavage of amide bond present in succinic amide at pH 5.5. (B) Hydrolysis of maleic acid derivative (e.g., doxorubicin prodrug). Hydrolysis at neutral pH competes with formation of stable imide, while acidic conditions promote drug release. (C) Replacement of double bond in maleic acid derivative promotes amine scaffold release under acidic conditions.