Switchable Liposomes: Targeting-Peptide-Functionalized and pH-Triggered Cytoplasmic Delivery.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Nanomedicine
• Cancer Therapeutics

Background:

• Targeted drug delivery systems aim to improve therapeutic efficacy and reduce side effects.
• Tumor microenvironments often exhibit unique characteristics, such as pH changes and specific marker overexpression.
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2 (VEGFR2) is a key marker in angiogenesis and a target for cancer therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct a switchable nanodelivery system for targeted cancer therapy.
• To functionalize liposomes with a novel dual-recognition peptide (STP).
• To achieve accelerated drug delivery and in vivo therapy under specific tumor conditions.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of liposomes functionalized with the STP peptide.
• Characterization of the peptide's dual-recognition properties: pH-responsiveness and VEGFR2 affinity.
• In vitro and in vivo evaluation of the nanodelivery system's performance.

Main Results:

• The developed nanodelivery system demonstrated switchable functionality.
• Drug delivery and therapeutic effects were activated and accelerated under conditions of VEGFR2 overexpression and mild acidity.
• The system showed potential for targeted delivery to cancer cells.

Conclusions:

• The switchable nanocarrier system offers a new strategy for rapid cytoplasmic delivery.
• This approach holds promise for specific cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.
• The dual-recognition peptide functionalization enables precise control over drug release and activation.