Peptide-Drug Conjugates and Their Targets in Advanced Cancer Therapies
Paul Hoppenz1, Sylvia Els-Heindl1, Annette G Beck-Sickinger1
1Faculty of Life Sciences, Institute of Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.
Abstract:
Cancer became recently the leading cause of death in industrialized countries. Even though standard treatments achieve significant effects in growth inhibition and tumor elimination, they cause severe side effects as most of the applied drugs exhibit only minor selectivity for the malignant tissue. Hence, specific addressing of tumor cells without affecting healthy tissue is currently a major desire in cancer therapy. Cell surface receptors, which bind peptides are frequently overexpressed on cancer cells and can therefore be considered as promising targets for selective tumor therapy. In this review, the benefits of peptides as tumor homing agents are presented and an overview of the most commonly addressed peptide receptors is given. A special focus was set on the bombesin receptor family and the neuropeptide Y receptor family. In the second part, the specific requirements of peptide-drug conjugates (PDC) and intelligent linker structures as an essential component of PDC are outlined. Furthermore, different drug cargos are presented including classical and recent toxic agents as well as radionuclides for diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. In the last part, boron neutron capture therapy as advanced targeted cancer therapy is introduced and past and recent developments are reviewed.
Insights
Peptides target cancer cells by binding to overexpressed receptors, enabling targeted drug delivery. This review explores peptide-drug conjugates and advanced therapies like boron neutron capture therapy for improved cancer treatment.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Cancer is a leading cause of death, with standard treatments lacking tumor selectivity and causing severe side effects.
- Targeting cancer cells specifically while sparing healthy tissue is a major goal in cancer therapy.
- Overexpressed cell surface receptors on cancer cells offer promising targets for selective therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the benefits of peptides as tumor-homing agents.
- To provide an overview of commonly targeted peptide receptors, focusing on bombesin and neuropeptide Y receptor families.
- To outline requirements for peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) and advanced targeted therapies.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of peptides, receptors, and targeted cancer therapies.
- Analysis of peptide-drug conjugate design, including linkers and drug cargos.
- Review of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) developments.
Main Results:
- Peptides can selectively target cancer cells via overexpressed receptors.
- Peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) offer a platform for targeted delivery of cytotoxic agents or radionuclides.
- Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) represents an advanced targeted cancer treatment modality.
Conclusions:
- Peptide-based targeting holds significant promise for selective cancer therapy.
- Peptide-drug conjugates and advanced therapies like BNCT are crucial for improving treatment efficacy and reducing side effects.
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