Self-assembly of a robust, reduction-sensitive camptothecin nanotube

The self-assembly and covalent crosslinking of a camptothecin (CPT) tetrapeptide nanotube is reported. Intermolecular disulfide bond formation of a self-assembled CPT-peptide reversibly stabilized the nanotubes toward dissociation at low concentrations, resulting in inhibited release of CPT. In the presence of dithiothreitol (DTT), the release of CPT was significantly accelerated. The crosslinked nanotubes also exhibited in vitro cytotoxicity against human non-small cell lung cancer cell lines A549 and H460.