title: Antibodies as an unlimited source of anti-infective, anti-tumour and immunomodulatory peptides.
abstract: Antibodies (Abs) are emerging as an important class of therapeutic agents for the treatment of various human diseases, often conjugated to drugs or toxic substances. In recent years, the incidence of cancer and infectious diseases has increased dramatically making it imperative to discover new effective therapeutic molecules. Among these, small peptides are arousing great interest. Synthetic peptides, representative of variable and constant region fragments of Abs, were proved to exert in vitro, ex vivo and/or in vivo anti-microbial, anti-viral, anti-tumour and/or immunomodulatory activities, mediated by different mechanisms of action and regardless of the specificity and isotype of the Ab. Some of these synthetic peptides possess the ability to spontaneously and reversibly self-assemble in an organised network of fibril-like structure. Ab fragments may represent a novel model of targeted anti-infective and anti-tumour auto-delivering drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical, Biotechnological, and Translational Sciences, University of Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Tecla
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ciociola
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Magliani
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Giovati
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sperindé
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Santinoli
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Conti
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Conti
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Polonella
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001666:Binding Sites, Antibody; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D004345:Drug Industry; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D010446:Peptide Fragments