Cell-penetrating peptides (CPP) are promising tools for the transport of a broad range of compounds into cells. Since the discovery of the first members of this peptide family, many other peptides have been identified; nowadays, dozens of these peptides are known. These peptides sometimes have very different chemical-physical properties, but they have similar drawbacks; e.g., non-specific internalization, fast elimination from the body, intracellular/vesicular entrapment. Although our knowledge regarding the mechanism and structure-activity relationship of internalization is growing, the prediction and design of the cell-penetrating properties are challenging. In this review, we focus on the different modifications of well-known CPPs to avoid their drawbacks, as well as how these modifications may increase their internalization and/or change the mechanism of penetration.
Keywords: cell-penetrating peptide; chemical modification; drug delivery; internalization; peptide conjugate.