Ocular Delivery of Therapeutic Agents by Cell-Penetrating Peptides

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are short peptides with the ability to translocate through the cell membrane to facilitate their cellular uptake. CPPs can be used as drug-delivery systems for molecules that are difficult to uptake. Ocular drug delivery is challenging due to the structural and physiological complexity of the eye. CPPs may be tailored to overcome this challenge, facilitating cellular uptake and delivery to the targeted area. Retinal diseases occur at the posterior pole of the eye; thus, intravitreal injections are needed to deliver drugs at an effective concentration in situ. However, frequent injections have risks of causing vision-threatening complications. Recent investigations have focused on developing long-acting drugs and drug delivery systems to reduce the frequency of injections. In fact, conjugation with CPP could deliver FDA-approved drugs to the back of the eye, as seen by topical application in animal models. This review summarizes recent advances in CPPs, protein/peptide-based drugs for eye diseases, and the use of CPPs for drug delivery based on systematic searches in PubMed and clinical trials. We highlight targeted therapies and explore the potential of CPPs and peptide-based drugs for eye diseases.

Automated summary

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) can facilitate the cellular uptake of drugs in the eye, particularly for retinal diseases. They have the potential to reduce the frequency of injections by delivering long-acting drugs to the posterior pole of the eye. Recent studies have shown that CPPs can effectively deliver FDA-approved drugs to the targeted area in animal models. This review summarizes the advances in CPPs, peptide-based drugs, and their use in ocular drug delivery.