During the last decade, the potential of peptides for drug delivery into cells has been highlighted by the discovery of several cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs). CPPs are very efficient in delivering various molecules into cells. However, except in some specific cases, their lack of cell specificity remains the major drawback for their clinical development. At the same time, various peptides wi...

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) mediate the uptake of interconnected cargoes of different types into cells and organisms. Studies in living cells revealed that high-molecular-weight cargoes linked to CPPs are delivered via endocytic routes whereas CPPs by themselves or fused to low-molecular-weight cargoes can in addition enter by a mechanism that does not require vesicle formation. This latte...

Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) have been successful in delivering cargo into many different cell types and are an important alternative to other methods of permeation that might damage the integrity of the cell membrane. The traditional view of CPPs is that they are inert molecules that can be successfully used to deliver many cargos intracellularly. The goal of this review is to challenge th...

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are a group of peptides, which have the ability to cross cell membrane bilayers. CPPs themselves can exert biological activity and can be formed endogenously. Fragmentary studies demonstrate their ability to enhance transport of different cargoes across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). However, comparative, quantitative data on the BBB permeability of different CP...

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) can facilitate uptake of quantum dots (QDs) for a variety of basic and applied sciences. Here we describe a method that utilizes simple noncovalent interactions to complex QDs and CPPs. We further describe methods to study uptake mechanisms of the QD/CPP complex. The inhibitor study coupled with the RNA interference (RNAi) technique provides a comprehensive appr...

Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) as a novel biomedical delivery system have been highly anticipated, since they can translocate across biological membranes and are capable of transporting their cargo inside live cells with minimal invasiveness. However, non-selective internalization in various cell types remains a challenge in the clinical application of CPPs, especially in cancer treatment. In...

Potential antimicrobial agents may be effective if they are delivered efficiently to their site of action. In many cases, lack of permeability through the cell membrane is the main problem. One of the possible solutions could be a novel intracellular delivery system involving cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), which may improve the efficiency of many new biopharmaceuticals. Among other things, C...

The SYBR green I (SG) dye-based fluorescence assay for screening antimalarial compounds is based on direct quantitation of parasite DNA. We show that DNA-interacting cationic cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) and intercalating agents compete with SG dye to bind to DNA. Therefore, readouts of this assay, unlike those of the [(3)H]hypoxanthine incorporation assay, for the antimalarial activity of ...

Internalization of peptides and proteins into live cells is an essential prerequisite for studies on intracellular signal pathways, for treatment of certain microbial diseases and for signal transduction therapy, especially for cancer treatment. Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) facilitate the transport of cargo-proteins through the cell membrane into live cells. CPPs which allow formation of no...

Multidrug-resistant pathogens have become a major public health concern. There is a great need for the development of novel antibiotics with alternative mechanisms of action for the treatment of life-threatening bacterial infections. Antimicrobial peptides, a major class of antibacterial agents, share amphiphilicity and cationic structural properties with cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs). Herei...