The plasma membrane is a large barrier to systemic drug delivery into cells, and it limits the efficacy of drug cargo. This issue has been overcome using cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs). CPPs are short peptides (6-30 amino acid residues) that are potentially capable of intracellular penetration to deliver drug molecules. CPPs broadened biomedical applications and provide a means to deliver a range of biologically active molecules, such as small molecules, proteins, imaging agents, and pharmaceutical nanocarriers, across the plasma membrane with high efficacy and low toxicity. This review is focused on the versatility of CPPs and advanced approaches for siRNA delivery.
Keywords: Cell-penetrating peptides; cellular internalization; conjugation; gene therapy; siRNA delivery.