The role of cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) has been challenged in recent years for drug delivery to ocular tissues for the targeting of both anterior and posterior segments. The enhancement of trans-corneal transport for anterior segment targeting is a very important issue possibly leading to important outcomes on efficacy and to the opportunity of topical administration of molecules with unfavorable penetration properties. The aim of the present work was the design and synthesis of new CPPs, deriving from the structure of PEP-1 peptide. Synthesized peptides were labeled with 5-carboxyfluorescein (5-FAM), and their diffusion behavior and distribution inside the cornea were evaluated by a validated ex vivo model and a confocal microscopy approach. Newly synthesized peptides showed similar corneal permeation profiles as PEP-1 (Papp = 0.75 ± 0.56 × 10-6 cm/s), about 2.6-fold higher than 5-FAM (Papp = 0.29 ± 0.08 × 10-6 cm/s) despite the higher molecular weight. Confocal microscopy experiments highlighted the tendency of PEP-1 and its derived peptides to localize in the intercellular space and/or in the plasma membrane. Noteworthy, using penetratin as positive control, a higher trans-corneal permeation (Papp = 6.18 ± 1.46 × 10-6 cm/s) was evidenced together with a diffusion by intracellular route and a different accumulation between wings and basal epithelial cells, probably depending on the stage of cell development. Finally, PEP-1 and pep-7 proved to be safe and well tolerated when tested on human conjuctival cell line.
Keywords: cell penetrating peptides; confocal microscopy; ocular drug delivery; penetratin; pep-1; trans-corneal delivery.