A simple self-assembling system of melittin for hepatoma treatment

[摘要] BackgroundHepatoma is a serious public health concern. New attempts are urgently needed to solve this problem. Melittin, a host defense peptide derived from the venom of honeybees, has noteworthy hemolysis and non-specific cytotoxicity in clinical applications. Here, the self-assembly of melittin and vitamin E-succinic acid-(glutamate)12 (VG) was fabricated via noncovalent π-stacking and hydrogen bonding interactions using an environment-friendly method without “toxic” solvents.ResultsAs expected, the designed self-assembly (denoted as M/VG nanoparticles) exhibits a uniform morphology with a particle size of approximately 60 nm and a zeta potential of approximately − 26.8 mV. Furthermore, added VG significantly decreased hemolytic activity, increased tumor-targeted effects, and accelerated apoptosis.ConclusionOur research provides a promising strategy for the development of natural self-assembled biological peptides for clinical application, particularly for transforming toxic peptides into safe therapeutic systems.Graphical Abstract

[发布日期] 2022-12-29

[关键词] Self-assembly;Peptide;Hepatoma therapy;Formation mechanism