Cell-Penetrating Mitochondrion-Targeting Ligands for the Universal Delivery of Small Molecules, Proteins and Nanomaterials

Rational nanoparticle design for efficient biomolecule delivery in plant genetic engineering

The pressing issue of food security amid climate change necessitates innovative agricultural practices, including advanced plant genetic engineering techniques. Efficient delivery of biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins into plant cells is essential for targeted crop improvements, yet traditional methods face significant barriers. This review discusses the multifaceted challenges of biomolecule delivery into plant cells, emphasizing the limitations of conventional methods. We explore the promise of nanoparticle-mediated delivery systems as a versatile alternative. By highlighting the diverse design parameters used to tune the physical and chemical properties of nanoparticles, we analyze how these factors influence delivery efficacy. Furthermore, we summarize recent advancements in nanoparticle-mediated delivery, showcasing successful examples of DNA, RNA, and protein transport into plant cells. By understanding and optimizing these design parameters, we can enhance the potential of nanoparticle technologies in plant genetic engineering, paving the way for more resilient and productive agriculture.

Synthesis and anti-proliferative effect of novel 4-Aryl-1, 3-Thiazole-TPP conjugates via mitochondrial uncoupling process

With the advent of mitochondrial targeting moiety such as triphenlyphosphonium cation (TPP+), targeting mitochondria in cancer cells has become a promising strategy for combating tumors. Herein, a series of novel 4-aryl-1,3-thiazole derivatives linked to TPP+ moiety were designed and synthesized. The cytotoxicity against a panel of four cancer cell lines was evaluated by CCK-8 assay. Most of these compounds exhibited moderate to good inhibitory activity over HeLa, PC-3 and HCT-15 cells while MCF-7 cells were less sensitive to most compounds. Among them, compound 12a exhibited a significant anti-proliferative activity against HeLa cells, and prompted for further investigation. Specifically, 12a decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and enhanced levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The flow cytometry analysis revealed that compound 12a could induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase in HeLa cells. In addition, mitochondrial bioenergetics assay revealed that 12a displayed mild mitochondrial uncoupling effect. Taken together, these findings suggest the therapeutic potential of compound 12a as an antitumor agent targeting mitochondria.

Cell-Penetrating Peptides: A Powerful Tool for Targeted Drug Delivery

The cellular membrane hinders the effective delivery of therapeutics to targeted sites. Cellpenetrating peptide (CPP) is one of the best options for rapidly internalizing across the cellular membrane. CPPs have recently attracted lots of attention because of their excellent transduction efficiency and low cytotoxicity. The CPP-cargo complex is an effective and efficient method of delivering several chemotherapeutic agents used to treat various diseases. Additionally, CPP has become another strategy to overcome some of the current therapeutic agents' limitations. However, no CPP complex is approved by the US FDA because of its limitations and issues. In this review, we mainly discuss the cellpenetrating peptide as the delivery vehicle, the cellular uptake mechanism of CPPs, their design, and some strategies to synthesize the CPP complex via some linkers such as disulfide bond, oxime, etc. Here, we also discuss the recent status of CPPs in the market.

The Dawn of a New Era: Targeting the "Undruggables" with Antibody-Based Therapeutics

The high selectivity and affinity of antibodies toward their antigens have made them a highly valuable tool in disease therapy, diagnosis, and basic research. A plethora of chemical and genetic approaches have been devised to make antibodies accessible to more "undruggable" targets and equipped with new functions of illustrating or regulating biological processes more precisely. In this Review, in addition to introducing how naked antibodies and various antibody conjugates (such as antibody-drug conjugates, antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates, antibody-enzyme conjugates, etc.) work in therapeutic applications, special attention has been paid to how chemistry tools have helped to optimize the therapeutic outcome (i.e., with enhanced efficacy and reduced side effects) or facilitate the multifunctionalization of antibodies, with a focus on emerging fields such as targeted protein degradation, real-time live-cell imaging, catalytic labeling or decaging with spatiotemporal control as well as the engagement of antibodies inside cells. With advances in modern chemistry and biotechnology, well-designed antibodies and their derivatives via size miniaturization or multifunctionalization together with efficient delivery systems have emerged, which have gradually improved our understanding of important biological processes and paved the way to pursue novel targets for potential treatments of various diseases.

Cell-Penetrating Peptides for Use in Development of Transgenic Plants

Genetically modified plants and crops can contribute to remarkable increase in global food supply, with improved yield and resistance to plant diseases or insect pests. The development of biotechnology introducing exogenous nucleic acids in transgenic plants is important for plant health management. Different genetic engineering methods for DNA delivery, such as biolistic methods, Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation, and other physicochemical methods have been developed to improve translocation across the plasma membrane and cell wall in plants. Recently, the peptide-based gene delivery system, mediated by cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), has been regarded as a promising non-viral tool for efficient and stable gene transfection into both animal and plant cells. CPPs are short peptides with diverse sequences and functionalities, capable of agitating plasma membrane and entering cells. Here, we highlight recent research and ideas on diverse types of CPPs, which have been applied in DNA delivery in plants. Various basic, amphipathic, cyclic, and branched CPPs were designed, and modifications of functional groups were performed to enhance DNA interaction and stabilization in transgenesis. CPPs were able to carry cargoes in either a covalent or noncovalent manner and to internalize CPP/cargo complexes into cells by either direct membrane translocation or endocytosis. Importantly, subcellular targets of CPP-mediated nucleic acid delivery were reviewed. CPPs offer transfection strategies and influence transgene expression at subcellular localizations, such as in plastids, mitochondria, and the nucleus. In summary, the technology of CPP-mediated gene delivery provides a potent and useful tool to genetically modified plants and crops of the future.

Amplifying the efficacy of ALA-based prodrugs for photodynamic therapy using nanotechnology

5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a clinically approved prodrug involved in intracellular Heme biosynthesis to produce the natural photosensitizer (PS) Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX). ALA based photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been used to treat various malignant and non-malignant diseases. However, natural ALA has disadvantages such as weak lipophilicity, low stability and poor bioavailability, greatly reducing its clinical performance. The emerging nanotechnology is expected to address these limitations and thus improve the therapeutic outcomes. Herein, we summarized important recent advances in the design of ALA-based prodrugs using nanotechnology to improve the efficacy of PDT. The potential limitations and future perspectives of ALA-based nanomedicines are also briefly presented and discussed.

Engineered Cell-Penetrating Peptides for Mitochondrion-Targeted Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy

Mitochondrion is a promising target in cancer therapy. However, gaining access to this organelle is difficult due to the obstacles to cross the complicated mitochondrial membrane. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) with mitochondrion-targeting ability, named mitochondrion-targeting peptides (MTPs), are efficient tools to deliver exogenous therapeutics into mitochondria. Herein, we report several new MTPs, which can be readily synthesized via resin-based solid-phase peptide synthesis. In particular, MTP3 (compound 5), consisting of three positively charged arginines and two D- and L- alternating naphthylalanines, demonstrated excellent mitochondrion-targeting ability with high Pearson's correlation coefficient, suggesting that MTP3 has good potential for mitochondrion-targeted drug delivery. As proof-of-concept, the feasibility of MTP3 was validated by the preparation of a mitochondrion-targeting prodrug (compound 17, doxorubicin-based prodrug). This prodrug was subsequently confirmed to be specifically transported to the mitochondria of tumor cells, where it was able to release the native doxorubicin upon intracellular GSH activation, leading to mitochondrial depolarization and eventually cell death. Importantly, compound 17 showed good cytotoxicity against human tumor cells while negligible toxicity towards normal cells, indicating its potential as a potent mitochondrial medicine for targeted cancer therapy. Our study thus opens a way for engineered CPPs to be used to deliver bioactive cargos in mitochondrion-targeted cancer therapy.