Peptides as multifunctional players in cancer therapy

Sri Murugan Poongkavithai Vadevoo, Smriti Gurung, Hyun Su Lee, Gowri Rangaswamy Gunassekaran, Seok Min Lee, Jae Won Yoon, Yun Ki Lee, Byungheon Lee

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

36 Scopus citations

Abstract

Peptides exhibit lower affinity and a shorter half-life in the body than antibodies. Conversely, peptides demonstrate higher efficiency in tissue penetration and cell internalization than antibodies. Regardless of the pros and cons of peptides, they have been used as tumor-homing ligands for delivering carriers (such as nanoparticles, extracellular vesicles, and cells) and cargoes (such as cytotoxic peptides and radioisotopes) to tumors. Additionally, tumor-homing peptides have been conjugated with cargoes such as small-molecule or chemotherapeutic drugs via linkers to synthesize peptide–drug conjugates. In addition, peptides selectively bind to cell surface receptors and proteins, such as immune checkpoints, receptor kinases, and hormone receptors, subsequently blocking their biological activity or serving as hormone analogs. Furthermore, peptides internalized into cells bind to intracellular proteins and interfere with protein–protein interactions. Thus, peptides demonstrate great application potential as multifunctional players in cancer therapy.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1099-1109
Number of pages11
JournalExperimental and Molecular Medicine
Volume55
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2023

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