Peptides as Targeting Agents and Therapeutics: A Brief Overview.

Abstract

The controllability and specificity of peptides make them ideal for targeting therapeutic delivery systems and as therapeutic agents that interfere with the essential functions of pathogens and tumors. Peptides can also mimic natural protein structures or parts thereof, agonize receptors, and be conjugated to other molecules that will self-assemble. In this short Review, we discuss research from the last ten years into peptide use in three arenas: the treatment of cancer, the treatment of pathogens, and the targeting of specific organs and organelles. These studies demonstrate the successful application of targeting and therapeutic peptides in vitro and in vivo and show the promising range of applications peptides can have going forward.