Design Principles, Synthetic Strategies, and Biomedical Applications of Peptide-Polymer Conjugates

Peptides possess great potential in drug development due to their high selectivity and excellent biocompatibility, while their poor in vivo stability and short half-life limit the practical applications. Peptide-polymer conjugates, by linking peptides with synthetic or natural polymeric materials, significantly improve their pharmacokinetic properties and therapeutic efficacy. This review systematically summarizes the design principle and synthetic strategies of conjugates, including covalent bonding, physical association, and self-assembly mechanisms, and elaborates on their applications in drug delivery, immunotherapy, and tissue engineering. The review also discusses current challenges, such as difficulties in controlling conjugation sites and increased immunogenicity, and envisions the development of responsive intelligent systems to provide a theoretical basis and reference for future clinical translation of peptide-based therapeutics.