Peptides, Proteins and Peptide/Protein-Polymer Conjugates as Drug Delivery System

Abstract

In the last few decades, novel drug delivery strategies have been a big priority to the formulation scientists. Peptides and proteins have drawn a special attention for their wide scope in the area. Serum albumin, transferrin, recom- binant proteins, virus capsids etc. are used as carrier for drug and biomolecules. Conjugates of polymers with proteins have also shown strong potency in the field of drug delivery. Polyethylene glycol is one of the most successful polymers that has been used extensively to develop protein conjugated formulations. Besides, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polylactic-co- glycolic acid, N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide copolymer, polyglutamic acid have also been investigated. In this re- view, we will highlight on the most recent overview of various advantages, limitations and marketed products of proteins, peptides and protein/peptide-polymer conjugates as drug carriers, such products in clinical trials and their various uses in the field of modern drug delivery. Understanding the key features of these materials and the vigorous research in this field will develop new drug formulations that will combat various types of life-threatening diseases.

Advances in Hybrid Polymer-Based Materials for Sustained Drug Release

“…As therapeutic agents, peptides and proteins are generally covalently bound to polymers to form peptide/proteinpolymer conjugates. Such systems have been widely studied as possible devices for drug delivery over the last decades [50].…”

“…As mentioned, proteins are versatile biopolymers and their functional properties depend on their amino acid composition, besides several functional groups (-NH 2 , -COOH, and -SH), which may be used for covalent and noncovalent bonds with other molecules of interest. So far, only linear polymers such as PEG, polysaccharides (e.g., dextran), polyglutamic acid, N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide acid, and their copolymers have been clinically explored [50]. Covalent conjugation strategies are often used in reactions of amine groups with carboxylic acid, via carbodiimide, or amine-aldehyde addition-elimination reactions, leading to nonselective conjugations and thiolene and azide-alkyne click reactions, which cause stereospecific conjugations.…”

Phase 1 dose‐escalation study of mirvetuximab soravtansine (IMGN853), a folate receptor α‐targeting antibody‐drug conjugate, in patients with solid tumors

“…In addition, standard‐of‐care treatments for a large number of human malignancies involve multidrug combinations, and these typically require further dose reductions to maintain an acceptable tolerability profile for patients . In an effort to overcome these limitations, various tumor‐selective drug‐delivery strategies have been developed that are designed to deliver cytocidal amounts of therapeutic agents directly to tumors . In this regard, significant translational progress has been achieved in the field of antibody‐drug conjugate (ADC) technology.…”

HSP90 Inhibitor–SN-38 Conjugate Strategy for Targeted Delivery of Topoisomerase I Inhibitor to Tumors

“…Thus, targeted delivery of cytocidal amounts of toxic agents to tumor cells remains an ongoing challenge for cancer therapy. To address this concern, a variety of site-selective drug delivery strategies have been designed to deliver chemotherapeutics more directly to tumors (2), including coupling anticancer drugs to monoclonal antibodies, peptides, and synthetic polymers (3)(4)(5)(6)(7). In particular, significant translational progress has been made in the field of antibody-drug conjugates (ADC; ref.…”