Recent Progress of pH-Responsive Peptides, Polypeptides, and Their Supramolecular Assemblies for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Peptides and polypeptides feature a variety of active functional groups on their side chains (including carboxylic acid, hydroxyl, amino, and thiol groups), enabling diverse chemical modifications. This versatility makes them highly valuable in stimuli-responsive systems. Notably, pH-responsive peptides and polypeptides, due to their ability to respond to pH changes, hold significant promise for applications in cellular pathology and tumor targeting. Extensive researches have highlighted the potentials of low pH insertion peptides (pHLIPs), peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs), and antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) in biomedicine. Peptide self-assemblies, with their structural stability, ease of regulation, excellent biocompatibility, and biodegradability, offer immense potentials in the development of novel materials and biomedical applications. We also explore specific examples of their applications in drug delivery, tumor targeting, and tissue engineering, while discussing future challenges and potential advancements in the field of pH-responsive self-assembling peptide-based biomaterials.