title: Peptides in cancer nanomedicine: drug carriers, targeting ligands and protease substrates.
abstract: Peptides are attracting increasing attention as therapeutic agents, as the technologies for peptide development and manufacture continue to mature. Concurrently, with booming research in nanotechnology for biomedical applications, peptides have been studied as an important class of components in nanomedicine, and they have been used either alone or in combination with nanomaterials of every reported composition. Peptides possess many advantages, such as smallness, ease of synthesis and modification, and good biocompatibility. Their functions in cancer nanomedicine, discussed in this review, include serving as drug carriers, as targeting ligands, and as protease-responsive substrates for drug delivery.
authors: Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors: Xiao-Xiang
authors: XX
authors: Zhang
authors: Henry S
authors: HS
authors: Eden
authors: Xiaoyuan
authors: X
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D050997:Nanomedicine; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D010455:Peptides / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D010455:Peptides; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases