Self-Assembling Peptides Alter Cell Death Pathway for Pyroptosis-Enhanced Immune Activation.

Pyroptosis, a pro-inflammatory form of programmed cell death, represents a promising strategy for cancer immunotherapy by eliciting robust antitumor immunity. Herein, we developed Lonidamine-WEWTWY (), a self-assembling peptide-drug conjugate that reprograms the cell death mechanism of Lonidamine from apoptosis to pyroptosis. The conjugate spontaneously forms stable nanofibers that selectively disrupt cancer cell membranes, triggering pyroptosis through membrane damage, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and gasdermin E (GSDME) activation.

Peptide-IR820 Conjugate: A Promising Strategy for Efficient Vascular Disruption and Hypoxia Induction in Melanoma.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) has emerged as a noninvasive and precise cancer treatment modality known for its high selectivity and lack of drug resistance. However, the clinical translation of many PTT agents is hindered by the limited biodegradability of inorganic nanoparticles and the instability of organic dyes. In this study, a peptide conjugate, IR820-Cys-Trp-Glu-Trp-Thr-Trp-Tyr (), was designed to self-assemble into nanoparticles for both potent PTT and vascular disruption in melanoma treatment.