Title:Chemical Strategies towards the Development of Effective Anticancer
Peptides
Volume: 31
Issue: 14
Author(s): Cuicui Li and Kang Jin*
Affiliation:
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School
of Pharmacy, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, China
Keywords:
Anticancer peptide, ACPs, cytotoxicity, drug resistance, undruggable proteins, chemotherapy.
Abstract: Cancer is increasingly recognized as one of the primary causes of death and
has become a multifaceted global health issue. Modern medical science has made significant
advancements in the diagnosis and therapy of cancer over the past decade. The detrimental
side effects, lack of efficacy, and multidrug resistance of conventional cancer therapies
have created an urgent need for novel anticancer therapeutics or treatments with
low cytotoxicity and drug resistance. The pharmaceutical groups have recognized the crucial
role that peptide therapeutic agents can play in addressing unsatisfied healthcare demands
and how these become great supplements or even preferable alternatives to biological
therapies and small molecules. Anticancer peptides, as a vibrant therapeutic strategy
against various cancer cells, have demonstrated incredible anticancer potential due to
high specificity and selectivity, low toxicity, and the ability to target the surface of traditional
“undruggable” proteins. This review will provide the research progression of anticancer
peptides, mainly focusing on the discovery and modifications along with the optimization
and application of these peptides in clinical practice.