Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects | 2021
Peptide-directed delivery of drug-loaded nanocarriers targeting CD36 overexpressing cells
Abstract
Abstract We describe in this work a general strategy for improving receptor-specificity of the drug-loaded nanoscale micelles using a peptide ligand (Pep2) targeting CD36 receptor. By introducing Pep2 to the surface of doxorubicin encapsulated DSPE-PEG2000 micelles (M-Dox) via co-assembly process, the obtained construct of Pep2-M-Dox demonstrated appreciably enhanced specificity and sensitivity towards CD36-overexpressing cell lines in comparison with that of pristine M-Dox. It was also observed that such peptide-ligand-enabled active targeting capability of Pep2-M-Dox leads to improved cellular uptake and cytotoxicity. The reported efforts illustrate the feasibility of rational engineering the potency and specificity of peptide-directed drug delivery systems.