The Whole Is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts: Binary and Ternary 5-Fluorouracil Co-Crystals with Enhanced Selectivity Towards Metastatic Cancer Cells

Abstract

The design and development of drug co-crystals are actively pursued due to their potential to enhance therapeutic efficiency while minimizing the cost of market introduction. 5-Fluorouracil (5FU), an anti-cancer drug widely applied in medical practice including the treatment of colorectal cancer, was used to obtain and characterize two novel co-crystals. Their structures were determined using X-ray diffraction, complemented by an in-depth analysis of intermolecular interactions, including hydrogen-bonded ring motifs and π‧‧‧π interactions. Cytotoxicity studies revealed that the co-crystals exhibit significantly improved activity against metastatic colon cancer cells compared to 5FU alone which highlighting their potential as innovative multicomponent drug candidates.