Administration strategies for proteins and peptides

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Pharmacology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Proteins and peptides are crucial for physiological processes and emerging as treatments for diseases like cancer and autoimmune disorders.
• Current parenteral administration routes for protein-based therapeutics present significant drawbacks including pain, cost, and toxicity.
• The development of effective protein and peptide drugs is hindered by challenges such as low bioavailability and in vivo instability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the potential of proteins and peptides as therapeutic agents.
• To discuss the limitations associated with current protein and peptide drug delivery methods.
• To highlight strategies for overcoming obstacles in protein and peptide drug delivery.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on protein and peptide therapeutics.
• Analysis of non-invasive administration routes (nasal, pulmonary, oral, ocular, rectal).
• Examination of strategies to enhance drug efficacy, including permeability enhancement, enzyme inhibition, structural modification, and encapsulation.

Main Results:

• Proteins and peptides show promise for treating various serious diseases.
• Non-invasive delivery routes are being investigated as alternatives to parenteral administration.
• Strategies like encapsulation and structural modification can improve protein and peptide drug bioavailability and stability.

Conclusions:

• Proteins and peptides represent a significant area of therapeutic development.
• Overcoming delivery challenges is critical for the successful clinical application of protein and peptide drugs.
• Continued research into novel delivery systems and formulation strategies is essential to realize the full potential of these biomolecules.