Short Peptides as Excipients in Parenteral Protein Formulations: A Mini Review

Biopharmaceutical medicines represent one of the most dynamic sectors of the pharmaceutical industry, with therapeutic proteins forming the largest and most important group. Their structural complexity and inherent sensitivity to chemical and physical stressors, however, continue to pose major challenges for formulation development and long-term stability. Short peptides have emerged as a promising yet underutilized class of excipients for protein-based drug products. Their modular architecture allows for precise tuning of physicochemical properties such as polarity, charge distribution, and hydrogen-bonding potential, thereby offering advantages over single amino acids. Experimental studies indicate that short peptides can serve multiple functions: stabilizers, antioxidants, viscosity-lowering agents, and as lyo/cryoprotectants or bulking agents in lyophilized formulations. Notably, the relatively small and chemically defined space of short peptides-approximately 400 possible dipeptides and 8000 tripeptides-makes them particularly amenable to systematic screening and computational modeling. This enables rational identification of candidates with tailored excipient functions. This review summarizes current knowledge on the use of short peptides as excipients in parenteral protein formulations, with a focus on their functional versatility and potential for rational design in future development.