title: Cell-penetrating peptides, electroporation and drug delivery.
abstract: Certain short polycations, such as trans-activating transcriptional activator and oligoarginine, rapidly pass through the plasma membranes of mammalian cells by a mechanism called transduction, as well as by endocytosis and macropinocytosis. These cell-penetrating peptides can carry with them cargos of 30 amino acids, more than the nominal limit of 500 Da and enough to be therapeutic. An analysis of the electrostatics of a charge outside the cell membrane and some recent experiments suggest that transduction may proceed by molecular electroporation. Ways to target diseased cells, rather than all cells, are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of New Mexico, Biophysics Group, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Albuquerque, NM, USA. cahill@unm.edu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cahill
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D057846:Cell-Penetrating Peptides / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D004355:Drug Stability; D018274:Electroporation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry; D008322:Mammals; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms; D055672:Static Electricity
chemical_list: D057846:Cell-Penetrating Peptides; D008051:Lipid Bilayers