Self‐Assembled Peptide‐Based Biocomposites for Near‐Infrared Light Triggered Drug Release to Tumor Cells

Abstract

Peptide-based nanomaterials are increasingly gaining popularity due to their specificity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. In this work, a new multi-layered peptide-based biocomposite for targeting MCF-7 breast cancer cells is developed. The amphipathic Fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (Fmoc)-Leu-Ser peptide is synthesized, which is conjugated to a tumor-targeting peptide sequence Gly-Cys-Gly-Asn-Ser to form Fmoc-L-S-G-C-G-N-S (FLS) assemblies. To the FLS assemblies, gold nanorods are then attached to develop drug delivery vehicles (DDVs). The DDVs are entrapped with the anti-cancer drug fulvestrant. Entrapment efficiency is found to be 50.6%. Release studies indicate that irradiating the gold nanorod bound DDVs at NIR wavelength (785 nm) increases drug release by fourfold compared to assemblies that are not irradiated. These results also show higher cytotoxicity and lower cell invasion due to photo-triggered drug release. Furthermore, distinct actin cytoskeletal changes are observed. Such novel peptide-based gold nanorod bound DDVs demonstrate potential in dual targeting of MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications

“…[ 6 ] Peptide‐based nanomaterials are also highlighted in this special issue by Deso et al., who addressed multi‐layered nanocomposites for near‐infrared light‐triggered release of drugs to treat breast cancer. [ 7 ] Finally, the rising field of immunoengineering is addressed by Demircan et al. through the development of antigen‐presenting self‐assembled peptides with the potential to be used as vaccines for viral infections or to target cancer cells.…”

Potential Application of Self-Assembled Peptides and Proteins in Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer

“…Drug-loaded pH-responsive hydrogels based on self-assembled peptides have been constructed for efficient drug delivery in the acidic microenvironment of tumors (pH 6.5) [44]. Researchers attached gold nanoparticles to self-assembled peptide assemblies to obtain biocomposites, using the targeting properties of self-assembled peptides and the light-triggered drug release properties of gold nanoparticles to achieve the dual targeting of BC cells [45].…”