Peptides as functional excipients for drug delivery

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Drug Delivery
• Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Background:

• Peptides possess diverse compositions, sequences, and conformations, enabling high specificity and functionality.
• Biodegradable and short peptides offer advantages such as reduced toxicity, lower tissue accumulation, ease of design, manufacturing, and cost-effectiveness.
• These characteristics position peptides as highly functional excipients for drug delivery systems (DDS).

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the application of peptides as high-functional excipients in drug delivery systems.
• To highlight the performance of various peptide types in enhancing drug delivery.
• To discuss the synthesis, regulation, and future prospects of peptide excipients.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent scientific literature on peptide excipients for drug delivery.
• Analysis of studies demonstrating self-assembling peptides, cell-penetrating peptides, and peptide ligands in DDS.
• Summary of research on green synthesis methods and regulatory information for peptide excipients.

Main Results:

• Self-assembling peptides facilitate drug loading and sustained release.
• Cell-penetrating peptides enhance cellular uptake, endosomal escape, and transmucosal permeation.
• Peptide ligands enable targeted nanoparticle drug delivery systems.
• Several peptide excipients, like PuraStat and RTP004, have gained clinical approval.
• Advancements in green synthesis are making peptide production more environmentally friendly and cost-effective.

Conclusions:

• Peptide excipients demonstrate significant potential to improve drug delivery systems due to their versatile properties.
• Ongoing research in synthesis and regulatory frameworks supports the broader clinical application of peptide excipients.
• Peptides are emerging as key components in next-generation pharmaceutical formulations.