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Song Y, Lei L, Cai X, Wei H, Yu CY. Immunomodulatory Peptides for Tumor Treatment. Adv Healthc Mater 2024:e2400512. [PMID: 38657003 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202400512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Peptides exhibit various biological activities, including biorecognition, cell targeting, and tumor penetration, and can stimulate immune cells to elicit immune responses for tumor immunotherapy. Peptide self-assemblies and peptide-functionalized nanocarriers can reduce the effect of various biological barriers and the degradation by peptidases, enhancing the efficiency of peptide delivery and improving antitumor immune responses. To date, the design and development of peptides with various functionalities have been extensively reviewed for enhanced chemotherapy; however, peptide-mediated tumor immunotherapy using peptides acting on different immune cells, to the knowledge, has not yet been summarized. Thus, this work provides a review of this emerging subject of research, focusing on immunomodulatory anticancer peptides. This review introduces the role of peptides in the immunomodulation of innate and adaptive immune cells, followed by a link between peptides in the innate and adaptive immune systems. The peptides are discussed in detail, following a classification according to their effects on different innate and adaptive immune cells, as well as immune checkpoints. Subsequently, two delivery strategies for peptides as drugs are presented: peptide self-assemblies and peptide-functionalized nanocarriers. The concluding remarks regarding the challenges and potential solutions of peptides for tumor immunotherapy are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Song
- Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Longtianyang Lei
- Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Xingyu Cai
- Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Hua Wei
- Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Cui-Yun Yu
- Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
- Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine, Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, 410013, China
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Chinnadurai RK, Khan N, Meghwanshi GK, Ponne S, Althobiti M, Kumar R. Current research status of anti-cancer peptides: Mechanism of action, production, and clinical applications. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 164:114996. [PMID: 37311281 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.114996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The escalating rate of cancer cases, together with treatment deficiencies and long-term side effects of currently used cancer drugs, has made this disease a global burden of the 21st century. The number of breast and lung cancer patients has sharply increased worldwide in the last few years. Presently, surgical treatment, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy strategies are used to cure cancer, which cause severe side effects, toxicities, and drug resistance. In recent years, anti-cancer peptides have become an eminent therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment due to their high specificity and fewer side effects and toxicity. This review presents an updated overview of different anti-cancer peptides, their mechanisms of action and current production strategies employed for their manufacture. In addition, approved and under clinical trials anti-cancer peptides and their applications have been discussed. This review provides updated information on therapeutic anti-cancer peptides that hold great promise for cancer treatment in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raj Kumar Chinnadurai
- Mahatma Gandhi Medical Advanced Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidhyapeeth (Deemed-to-be-University), Pondicherry 607402, India
| | - Nazam Khan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Science, Shaqra University, Shaqra, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Saravanaraman Ponne
- Department of Biotechnology, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry 605014, India
| | - Maryam Althobiti
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Science, Shaqra University, Shaqra, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
| | - Rajender Kumar
- Department of Chemistry, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm 106 91, Sweden.
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Zhang Y, Liu C, Wu C, Song L. Natural peptides for immunological regulation in cancer therapy: Mechanism, facts and perspectives. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 159:114257. [PMID: 36689836 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.114257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer incidence and mortality rates are increasing annually. Treatment with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy (RT) is unsatisfactory because many patients have advanced disease at the initial diagnosis. However, the emergence of immunotherapy promises to be an effective strategy to improve the outcome of advanced tumors. Immune checkpoint antibodies, which are at the forefront of immunotherapy, have had significant success but still leave some cancer patients without benefit. For more cancer patients to benefit from immunotherapy, it is necessary to find new drugs and combination therapeutic strategies to improve the outcome of advanced cancer patients and achieve long-term tumor control or even eradication. Peptides are promising choices for tumor immunotherapy drugs because they have the advantages of low production cost, high sequence selectivity, high tissue permeability, low toxicity and low immunogenicity etc., and the adjuvant matching and technologies like nanotechnology can further optimize the effects of peptides. In this review, we present the current status and mechanisms of research on peptides targeting multiple immune cells (T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, dendritic cells (DCs), tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), regulatory T cells (Tregs)) and immune checkpoints in tumor immunotherapy; and we summarize the current status of research on peptide-based tumor immunotherapy in combination with other therapies including RT, chemotherapy, surgery, targeted therapy, cytokine therapy, adoptive cell therapy (ACT) and cancer vaccines. Finally, we discuss the current status of peptide applications in mRNA vaccine delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunchao Zhang
- School of Medical and Life Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan 611137, PR China
| | - Chenxin Liu
- School of Medical and Life Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan 611137, PR China
| | - Chunjie Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan 611137, PR China
| | - Linjiang Song
- School of Medical and Life Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan 611137, PR China.
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Li X, Zhao B, Luo L, Zhou Y, Lai D, Luan T. In vitro immunotoxicity detection for environmental pollutants: Current techniques and future perspectives. Trends Analyt Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2022.116901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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Peptide-Mediated Targeted Delivery of Aloe-Emodin as Anticancer Drug. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27144615. [PMID: 35889487 PMCID: PMC9320513 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27144615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is one of the most diffuse cancers in the world and despite the availability of the different drugs employed against it, the need for new and particularly more specific molecules is ever growing. In this framework, natural products are increasingly assuming an important role as new anticancer drugs. Aloe-emodin (AE) is one of the best characterized molecules in this field. The functionalization of bioactive natural products with selected peptide sequences to enhance their bioavailability and specificity of action is a powerful and promising strategy. In this study, we analyzed the cell specificity, cell viability effects, intracellular distribution, and immune cell response of a new peptide conjugate of Aloe-emodin in SKBR3 and A549 cell lines by means of viability tests, flow cytometry, and confocal microscopy. The conjugate proved to be more effective at reducing cell viability than AE in both cell lines. Furthermore, the results showed that it was mainly internalized within the SKBR3 cells, showing a nuclear localization, while A459 cells displayed mainly a cytoplasmic distribution. A preserving effect of the conjugate on NKs’ cell function was also observed. The designed conjugate showed a promising specific activity towards HER2-expressing cells coupled with an enhanced water solubility and a higher cytotoxicity; thus, the resulting proof-of-concept molecule can be further improved as an anticancer compound.
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Park J, Kim J, Ko ES, Jeong JH, Park CO, Seo JH, Jang YS. Enzymatic bioconversion of ginseng powder increases the content of minor ginsenosides and potentiates immunostimulatory activity. J Ginseng Res 2021; 46:304-314. [PMID: 35509827 PMCID: PMC9058844 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgr.2021.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 12/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ginsenosides are biologically active components of ginseng and have various functions. In this study, we investigated the immunomodulatory activity of a ginseng product generated from ginseng powder (GP) via enzymatic bioconversion. This product, General Bio compound K-10 mg solution (GBCK10S), exhibited increased levels of minor ginsenosides, including ginsenoside-F1, compound K, and compound Y. Methods The immunomodulatory properties of GBCK10S were confirmed using mice and a human natural killer (NK) cell line. We monitored the expression of molecules involved in immune responses via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, flow cytometry, NK cell-targeted cell destruction, quantitative reverse-transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot analyses. Results Oral administration of GBCK10S significantly increased serum immunoglobulin M levels and primed splenocytes to express pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interferon-γ. Oral administration of GBCK10S also activated NK cells in mice. Furthermore, GBCK10S treatment stimulated a human NK cell line in vitro, thereby increasing granzyme B gene expression and activating STAT5. Conclusion GBCK10S may have potent immunostimulatory properties and can activate immune responses mediated by B cells, Th1-type T cells, and NK cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jisang Park
- Innovative Research and Education Center for Integrated Bioactive Materials and the Department of Bioactive Material Sciences, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
- Department of Molecular Biology and the Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
| | - Ju Kim
- Department of Molecular Biology and the Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun-Sil Ko
- R&D Center, General Bio Co., Ltd., Namwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Hoon Jeong
- R&D Center, General Bio Co., Ltd., Namwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Cheol-Oh Park
- R&D Center, General Bio Co., Ltd., Namwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Hun Seo
- R&D Center, General Bio Co., Ltd., Namwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-Suk Jang
- Innovative Research and Education Center for Integrated Bioactive Materials and the Department of Bioactive Material Sciences, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
- Department of Molecular Biology and the Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
- Corresponding author. Department of Molecular Biology, Jeonbuk National University, Republic of Korea.
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Ode Boni BO, Bakadia BM, Osi AR, Shi Z, Chen H, Gauthier M, Yang G. Immune Response to Silk Sericin-Fibroin Composites: Potential Immunogenic Elements and Alternatives for Immunomodulation. Macromol Biosci 2021; 22:e2100292. [PMID: 34669251 DOI: 10.1002/mabi.202100292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 10/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The unique properties of silk proteins (SPs), particularly silk sericin (SS) and silk fibroin (SF), have attracted attention in the design of scaffolds for tissue engineering over the past decades. Since SF has good mechanical properties, while SS displays bioactivity, scaffolds combining both proteins should exhibit complementary properties enhancing the potential of these materials. Unfortunately, SS-SF composites can generate chronic immune responses and their immunogenic element is not completely clear. The potential of SS-SF composites in tissue engineering, elements which may contribute to their immunogenicity, and alternatives for their preparation and design, to modulate the immune response and take advantage of their useful properties, are discussed in this review. It is known that SS can enhance β-sheet formation in SF, which may act as hydrophobic regions with a strong affinity for adsorption proteins inducing the chronic recruitment of inflammatory cells. Therefore, tailoring the exposure of hydrophobic regions at the scaffold surface should represent a viable strategy to modulate the immune response. This can be achieved by coating SS-SF composites with SS or other hydrophilic polymers, to take advantage of their antibiofouling properties. Research is still needed to realize the full potential of these composites for tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biaou Oscar Ode Boni
- National Engineering Research Center for Nano-Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430074, P. R. China
| | - Bianza Moïse Bakadia
- National Engineering Research Center for Nano-Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430074, P. R. China
| | - Amarachi Rosemary Osi
- Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China
| | - Zhijun Shi
- National Engineering Research Center for Nano-Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430074, P. R. China
| | - Hong Chen
- Department of Rehabilitation, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Mario Gauthier
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Guang Yang
- National Engineering Research Center for Nano-Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan, 430074, P. R. China
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Supplementation with a Natural Source of Amino Acids, Sil-Q1 (Silk Peptide), Enhances Natural Killer Cell Activity: A Redesigned Clinical Trial with a Reduced Supplementation Dose and Minimized Seasonal Effects in a Larger Population. Nutrients 2021; 13:nu13092930. [PMID: 34578808 PMCID: PMC8466343 DOI: 10.3390/nu13092930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to re-validate the changes in natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity and cytokines related to T cells after Sil-Q1 (SQ; silk peptide) supplementation in a larger pool of Korean adults with minimized daily dose of SQ and controlling seasonal influence compared to the previous study. A total of 130 subjects were randomly assigned (1:1) to consume either 7.5 g of SQ or placebo for 8 weeks. NK cell cytotoxicity and cytokines were measured at T0 (baseline) and T8 (follow-up). Comparing the NK cell cytotoxicity values at T0 and T8 within each group, the cytotoxicity at all effector cell (E) to target cell (T) ratios of 10:1, 5:1, 2.5:1, and 1.25:1 was significantly increased in the SQ group at T8. Additionally, significant differences in the changed value (Δ, subtract baseline values from follow-up values) comparison between the groups at E:T = 10:1, 5:1, and 2.5:1 were found. As a secondary endpoint, the interleukin (IL)-12 level in the SQ group was significantly increased for 8 weeks, and Δ IL-12 in the SQ group was greater than in the placebo group. In conclusion, the present study showed considerable practical implications of SQ supplementation. Thus, SQ is an effective and safe functional food supplement for enhancing immune function.
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Dietary Silk Peptide Inhibits LPS-Induced Inflammatory Responses by Modulating Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) Signaling. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10050771. [PMID: 32429220 PMCID: PMC7277379 DOI: 10.3390/biom10050771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Acid-hydrolyzed silk peptide (SP) is a valuable material that has been used traditionally to treat various diseases, however, the mechanism by which it affects inflammatory responses is unknown. To examine the effects of SP on inflammatory responses, we used macrophages as a vehicle for examining signaling via toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), which plays an important role in innate immune responses to pathogenic infections and pathogen-derived molecules such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We then confirmed the anti-inflammatory effects of SP by examining lymph node, spleen, and serum samples from C57BL/6 mice injected with LPS. We also used LPS-induced bone marrow-derived macrophages and RAW264.7 cells (a murine macrophage cell line) to identify the mechanism by which SP modulates immune responses via the TLR4 signaling pathway. In addition, we showed that SP prevents LPS-induced production of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species. In summary, SP inhibits LPS-induced inflammatory responses by modulating the TLR4 signaling pathway.
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