Tumor microenvironment pH-responsive size-transformable peptide self-assembling nanocarriers for tumor-specific...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Oncology

Background:

• Peptide-based drug carriers offer biodegradability for tumor therapy.
• Current receptor-targeting methods face limitations due to tumor heterogeneity and potential toxicity to healthy cells.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel tumor microenvironment (TME) pH-triggered peptide carrier for enhanced tumor-specific drug delivery.
• To overcome the limitations of receptor-mediated targeting in cancer therapy.

Main Methods:

• Engineered a multilevel self-assembling peptide with simple modifications.
• Utilized the acidic nature of the tumor microenvironment (pH 6.0-6.8) for triggered drug release.
• Demonstrated size transformation of the peptide carrier from aggregates (~1.56 μm) at pH 7.4 to nanomicelles (~100 nm) at acidic pH.

Main Results:

• The peptide carrier exhibits pH-dependent size and charge transformation.
• The nanomicelles readily enter tumor cells while avoiding uptake by normal cells at physiological pH.
• Achieved tumor-specific therapy by exploiting the acidic TME.

Conclusions:

• Developed a novel strategy for TME-based tumor-specific treatment using peptide nanomaterials.
• The pH-triggered peptide carrier offers a promising approach to improve precision and reduce toxicity in cancer therapy.