Desale Kalyani, Kuche Kaushik, Jain Sanyog
Centre for Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab-160062, India.
Biomater Sci. 2021 Feb 23;9(4):1153-1188. doi: 10.1039/d0bm01755h.
In the field of nanotherapeutics, gaining cellular entry into the cytoplasm of the target cell continues to be an ultimate challenge. There are many physicochemical factors such as charge, size and molecular weight of the molecules and delivery vehicles, which restrict their cellular entry. Hence, to dodge such situations, a class of short peptides called cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) was brought into use. CPPs can effectively interact with the cell membrane and can assist in achieving the desired intracellular entry. Such strategy is majorly employed in the field of cancer therapy and diagnosis, but now it is also used for other purposes such as evaluation of atherosclerotic plaques, determination of thrombin levels and HIV therapy. Thus, the current review expounds on each of these mentioned aspects. Further, the review briefly summarizes the basic know-how of CPPs, their utility as therapeutic molecules, their use in cancer therapy, tumor imaging and their assistance to nanocarriers in improving their membrane penetrability. The review also discusses the challenges faced with CPPs pertaining to their stability and also mentions the strategies to overcome them. Thus, in a nutshell, this review will assist in understanding how CPPs can present novel possibilities for resolving the conventional issues faced with the present-day nanotherapeutics.
在纳米治疗领域，使纳米药物进入靶细胞的细胞质仍然是一个巨大的挑战。存在许多物理化学因素，如分子和递送载体的电荷、大小及分子量，这些因素限制了它们进入细胞。因此，为了规避这种情况，一类被称为细胞穿透肽（CPPs）的短肽被投入使用。CPPs能够有效地与细胞膜相互作用，并有助于实现所需的细胞内进入。这种策略主要应用于癌症治疗和诊断领域，但现在也用于其他目的，如评估动脉粥样硬化斑块、测定凝血酶水平以及治疗艾滋病。因此，本综述阐述了上述各个方面。此外，该综述简要总结了CPPs的基本知识、它们作为治疗分子的效用、在癌症治疗和肿瘤成像中的应用以及它们对纳米载体提高膜穿透性的帮助。该综述还讨论了CPPs在稳定性方面面临的挑战，并提及了克服这些挑战的策略。简而言之，本综述将有助于理解CPPs如何为解决当今纳米治疗面临的传统问题带来新的可能性。
