Anticancer mechanism of peptide P18 in human leukemia K562 cells.

Studies on the anticancer mechanism of peptide P18 in human leukemia K562 cells revealed that P18 causes the death of most K562 cells by depolarizing plasma membrane potential and enhancing membrane permeability, rather than activating the classical apoptosis pathway. The mechanistic studies indicate that disrupting plasma membrane is an effective approach to kill cancer cells and help design more effective peptide analogues in future cancer therapies.