Beclin-1-Derived Peptide MP1 Attenuates Renal Fibrosis by Inhibiting the Wnt/ß-Catenin Pathway.

Renal fibrosis is distinguished by the abnormal deposition of extracellular matrix and progressive loss of nephron function, with a lack of effective treatment options in clinical practice. In this study, we discovered that the Beclin-1-derived peptide MP1 significantly inhibits the abnormal expression of fibrosis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related markers, including α-smooth muscle actin, fibronectin, collagen I, matrix metallopeptidase 2, Snail1, and vimentin both in vitro and in vivo. H&E staining was employed to evaluate renal function, while serum creatinine (Scr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were used as main indices to assess pathologic changes in the obstructed kidney. The results demonstrated that daily treatment with MP1 during the 14-day experiment significantly alleviated renal dysfunction and changes in Scr and BUN in mice with unilateral ureteral obstruction. Mechanistic research revealed that MP1 was found to have a significant inhibitory effect on the expression of crucial components involved in both the Wnt/ß-catenin and transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß/Smad pathways, including ß-catenin, C-Myc, cyclin D1, TGF-ß1, and p-Smad/Smad. However, MP1 exhibited no significant impact on either the LC3II/LC3I ratio or P62 levels. These findings indicate that MP1 improves renal physiologic function and mitigates the fibrosis progression by inhibiting the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. Our study suggests that MP1 represents a promising and novel candidate drug precursor for the treatment of renal fibrosis. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This study indicated that the Beclin-1-derived peptide MP1 effectively mitigated renal fibrosis induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction through inhibiting the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway and transforming growth factor-ß/Smad pathway, thereby improving renal physiological function. Importantly, unlike other Beclin-1-derived peptides, MP1 exhibited no significant impact on autophagy in normal cells. MP1 represents a promising and novel candidate drug precursor for the treatment of renal fibrosis focusing on Beclin-1 derivatives and Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Exploring the Dual Functions of Distal Acyl Group Direction in Various Nucleophilic Environments.

A universal glycosylation strategy could significantly simplify glycoside synthesis. One approach to achieving this goal is through acyl group direction for the corresponding 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4-, or 1,6-trans glycosylation; however, this approach has been challenging for glycosidic bonds that require distal equatorial-acyl group direction. We developed an approach in weakly nucleophilic environments for selective 1,4-trans glycosylation directed by the equatorial-4-O-acyl group. Here, we explored this condition in other distal acyl groups and found that, besides 1,n-trans direction, acyl groups also mediated hydrogen bonding between acyl groups and alcohols. The latter showed a diverse effect and classified the acyl group direction into axial and equatorial categories. Corresponding glycosylation conditions were distinguished as guidance for acyl group direction from either category. Hence, acyl group direction may serve as a general glycosylation strategy.

The CaMKII Inhibitory Peptide AIP Alleviates Renal Fibrosis Through the TGF-ß/Smad and RAF/ERK Pathways.

Renal fibrosis is characterized by the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix that destroys and replaces the functional renal parenchyma, ultimately leading to organ failure. It is a common pathway by which chronic kidney disease can develop into end-stage renal disease, which has high global morbidity and mortality, and there are currently no good therapeutic agents available. Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) has been indicated to be closely related to the occurrence of renal fibrosis, and its specific inhibitory peptide, autocamtide-2-related inhibitory peptide (AIP), was shown to directly bind the active site of CaMKII. In this study, we examined the effect of AIP on the progression of renal fibrosis and its possible mechanism. The results showed that AIP could inhibit the expression of the fibrosis markers fibronectin, collagen I, matrix metalloproteinase 2, and α-smooth muscle actin in vivo and in vitro. Further analysis revealed that AIP could inhibit the expression of various epithelial-to-mesenchymal transformation-related markers, such as vimentin and Snail 1, in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, AIP could significantly inhibit the activation of CaMKII, Smad 2, Raf, and extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) in vitro and in vivo and reduce the expression of transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) in vivo. These results suggested that AIP could alleviate renal fibrosis by inhibiting CaMKII and blocking activation of the TGF-ß/Smad2 and RAF/ERK pathways. Our study provides a possible drug candidate and demonstrates that CaMKII is a potential pharmacological target for the treatment of renal fibrosis. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: We have demonstrated that AIP significantly attenuated transforming growth factor-ß-1-induced fibrogenesis and ameliorated unilateral ureteral obstruction-induced renal fibrosis through the CaMKII/TGF-ß/Smad and CaMKII/RAF/ERK signaling pathways in vitro and in vivo. Our study provides a possible drug candidate and demonstrates that CaMKII can be a potential pharmacological target for the treatment of renal fibrosis.

DR7dA, a Novel Antioxidant Peptide Analog, Demonstrates Antifibrotic Activity in Pulmonary Fibrosis In Vivo and In Vitro.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF), which is characterized by enhanced extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, is an interstitial lung disease that lacks an ideal clinical treatment strategy. It has an extremely poor prognosis, with an average survival of 3-5 years after diagnosis. Our previous studies have shown that the antioxidant peptide DR8 (DHNNPQIR-NH2), which is extracted and purified from rapeseed, can alleviate PF and renal fibrosis. However, natural peptides are easily degraded by proteases in vivo, which limits their potency. We have since synthesized a series of DR8 analogs based on amino acid scanning substitution. DR7dA [DHNNPQ (D-alanine) R-NH2] is an analog of DR8 in which L-isoleucine (L-Ile) is replaced with D-alanine (D-Ala), and its half-life is better than that of DR8. In the current study, we verified that DR7dA ameliorated tumor growth factor (TGF)-ß1-induced fibrogenesis and bleomycin-induced PF. The results indicated that DR7dA reduced the protein and mRNA levels of TGF-ß1 target genes in TGF-ß1-induced models. Surprisingly, DR7dA blocked fibrosis in a lower concentration range than DR8 in cells. In addition, DR7dA ameliorated tissue pathologic changes and ECM accumulation in mice. BLM caused severe oxidative damage, but administration of DR7dA reduced oxidative stress and restored antioxidant defense. Mechanistic studies suggested that DR7dA inhibits ERK, P38, and JNK phosphorylation in vivo and in vitro All results indicated that DR7dA attenuated PF by inhibiting ECM deposition and oxidative stress via blockade of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Hence, compared with its parent peptide, DR7dA has higher druggability and could be a candidate compound for PF treatment in the future. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: In order to improve druggability of DR8, we investigated the structure-activity relationship of it and replaced the L-isoleucine with D-alanine. We found that the stability and antifibrotic activity of DR7dA were significantly improved than DR8, as well as DR7dA significantly attenuated tumor growth factor (TGF)-ß1-induced fibrogenesis and ameliorated bleomycin-induced fibrosis by inhibiting extracellular matrix deposition and oxidative stress via blockade of the MAPK pathway, suggesting DR7dA may be a promising candidate compound for the treatment of PF.

Protective effect of peptide DR8 on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis by regulating the TGF-ß/MAPK signaling pathway and oxidative stress.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a fatal and irreversible lung disease that eventually causes respiratory failure, lung dysfunction and death. The peptide DHNNPQIR-NH2 (DR8) has been reported to possess potent antioxidant activity, and an imbalance of oxidation/antioxidation is a crucial mechanism that causes PF. Here, we studied the ability of DR8 to improve PF and further explored the pathway in which DR8 plays a critical role. We found that after prophylactic or therapeutic treatment with DR8, fibrosis-associated indices, including marker proteins, proinflammatory cytokines and profibrogenic cytokines, were significantly downregulated. Importantly, DR8 could reduce bleomycin-induced pathological changes and collagen deposition, especially collagen I content. Furthermore, DR8 prominently upregulated nonenzymatic antioxidants and enzymatic antioxidants. Consistent with the in vivo results, we observed that DR8 significantly inhibited the proliferation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation of A549 cells and NIH3T3 cells stimulated with transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1), as well as decreased NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) levels under the same conditions. Moreover, DR8 reversed the TGF-ß1-induced upregulation of phosphorylated ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK in cells and the bleomycin-induced upregulation of these indices in mice. Our results indicate that DR8 could prevent and treat PF by reducing oxidative damage and suppressing the TGF-ß/MAPK pathway. Because of the high efficiency and low toxicity of DR8, we consider that DR8 could be a candidate drug for PF, and our studies establish a foundation for the development of a lead compound to be used as a therapy for fibrosis-related diseases.

Potent effects of amino acid scanned antimicrobial peptide Feleucin-K3 analogs against both multidrug-resistant strains and biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is particularly difficult to treat because it possesses a variety of resistance mechanisms and because it often forms biofilms. Antimicrobial peptides represent promising candidates for future templates of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections due to their unique mechanism of antimicrobial action. In this study, we first found that the antimicrobial peptide Feleucin-K3 has potent antimicrobial activity against not only the standard strain of P. aeruginosa but also against the multidrug-resistant strains isolated from clinics. Then, the structure-activity relationship of the peptide was investigated using alanine and D-amino acid scanning. Among the analogs synthesized, FK-1D showed much more potent antimicrobial activity, superior stability, and very low toxicity, and it was able to permeabilize bacterial membranes. Furthermore, it exhibited significant anti-biofilm activity. More importantly, FK-1D showed excellent antimicrobial activity in vivo, especially against clinical multidrug-resistant bacteria, in contrast to ceftazidime. Our results suggested that FK-1D could be subjected to fixed-point modification in the first and fourth sites to further optimize its medicinal properties and potential as a lead compound for the treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa and the associated biofilms.

Catalytic Asymmetric Michael Reaction of 5H-Oxazol-4-Ones with α,ß-Unsaturated Acyl Imidazoles.

The asymmetric Michael reaction between 5H-oxazol-4-ones and α,ß-unsaturated acyl imidazoles is reported. A novel 2-benzo[b]thiophenyl-modified chiral ProPhenol species is synthesized and used as a ligand, leading to good enantioselectivities in this asymmetric conjugate addition reaction. Furthermore, the introduction of phenol additives as achiral co-ligands is found to improve the reaction's chemical yields, diastereoselectivities, and enantioselectivities.

Antimicrobial activities and action mechanism studies of transportan 10 and its analogues against multidrug-resistant bacteria.

The increased emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria is perceived as a critical public health threat, creating an urgent need for the development of novel classes of antimicrobials. Cell-penetrating peptides that share common features with antimicrobial peptides have been found to have antimicrobial activity and are currently being considered as potential alternatives to antibiotics. Transportan 10 is a chimeric cell-penetrating peptide that has been reported to transport biologically relevant cargoes into mammalian cells and cause damage to microbial membranes. In this study, we designed a series of TP10 analogues and studied their structure-activity relationships. We first evaluated the antimicrobial activities of these compounds against multidrug-resistant bacteria, which are responsible for most nosocomial infections. Our results showed that several of these compounds had potent antimicrobial and biofilm-inhibiting activities. We also measured the toxicity of these compounds, finding that Lys substitution could increase the antimicrobial activity but significantly enhanced the cytotoxicity. Pro introduction could reduce the cytotoxicity but disrupted the helical structure, resulting in a loss of activity. In the mechanistic studies, TP10 killed bacteria by membrane-active and DNA-binding activities. In conclusion, TP10 and its analogues could be developed into promising antibiotic candidates for the treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Design of novel analogues of short antimicrobial peptide anoplin with improved antimicrobial activity.

Currently, novel antibiotics are urgently required to combat the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. Antimicrobial peptides with membrane-lytic mechanism of action have attracted considerable interest. Anoplin, a natural α-helical amphiphilic antimicrobial peptide, is an ideal research template because of its short sequence. In this study, we designed and synthesized a group of analogues of anoplin. Among these analogues, anoplin-4 composed of D-amino acids displayed the highest antimicrobial activity due to increased charge, hydrophobicity and amphiphilicity. Gratifyingly, anoplin-4 showed low toxicity to host cells, indicating high bacterial selectivity. Furthermore, the mortality rate of mice infected with Escherichia coli was significantly reduced by anoplin-4 treatment relative to anoplin. In conclusion, anoplin-4 is a novel anoplin analogue with high antimicrobial activity and enzymatic stability, which may represent a potent agent for the treatment of infection.

Antimicrobial activities and membrane-active mechanism of CPF-C1 against multidrug-resistant bacteria, a novel antimicrobial peptide derived from skin secretions of the tetraploid frog Xenopus clivii.

Hospital-acquired infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria pose significant challenges for treatment, which necessitate the development of new antibiotics. Antimicrobial peptides are considered potential alternatives to conventional antibiotics. The skin of Anurans (frogs and toads) amphibians is an extraordinarily rich source of antimicrobial peptides. CPF-C1 is a typical cationic antimicrobial peptide that was originally isolated from the tetraploid frog Xenopus clivii. Our results showed that CPF-C1 has potent antimicrobial activity against both sensitive and multidrug-resistant bacteria. It disrupted the outer and inner membranes of bacterial cells. CPF-C1 induced both propidium iodide uptake into the bacterial cell and the leakage of calcein from large liposome vesicles, which suggests a mode of action that involves membrane disturbance. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy verified the morphologic changes of CPF-C1-treated bacterial cells and large liposome vesicles. The membrane-dependent mode of action signifies that the CPF-C1 peptide functions freely and without regard to conventional resistant mechanisms. Additionally, it is difficult for bacteria to develop resistance against CPF-C1 under this action mode. Other studies indicated that CPF-C1 had low cytotoxicity against mammalian cell. In conclusion, considering the increase in multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, CPF-C1 may offer a new strategy that can be considered a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of diseases caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria.

The novel peptide PEP-Z-2 potentially treats renal fibrosis in vivo and in vitro by regulating TGF-ß/Smad/AKT/MAPK signaling.

Renal fibrosis is a process in which excessive deposition of extracellular matrix leads to an increase in tissue hardness and gradual destruction of the renal parenchyma. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) commonly progresses to end-stage renal disease (ESRD), ultimately leading to renal failure. This disease has high incidence and mortality rates, but to date, effective treatment options are lacking. PEP-Z-2 is a collagen peptide isolated from redlip croaker scales and may have potential fibroprotective activity. In this study, PEP-Z-2 was found to alleviate unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)- and folic acid (FA)-induced kidney injury in a mouse model, reduce collagen deposition in tissues, normalize renal function, reduce the expression of fibrosis markers, reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and restore the balance of the oxidant/antioxidant system. In vitro experiments also demonstrated that PEP-Z-2 inhibits the TGF-ß-induced differentiation of fibroblasts and renal tubular epithelial cells into myofibroblasts and reduces the production of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins such as fibronectin, Col I, and α-SMA, demonstrating notable therapeutic effects on renal fibrosis. This effect is achieved by regulating the TGF-ß/Smad/AKT/MAPK pathway. Our research suggested that PEP-Z-2 is a potential therapeutic drug for renal fibrosis, and peptides from aquatic organisms may constitute a new class of candidate drugs for the treatment of renal fibrosis and even other types of organ fibrosis.

Two hits are better than one: membrane-active and DNA binding-related double-action mechanism of NK-18, a novel antimicrobial peptide derived from mammalian NK-lysin.

The extensive use and misuse of antibiotics in medicine result in the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, creating an urgent need for the development of new chemotherapeutic agents. Nowadays, antimicrobial peptides are widely recognized as a class of promising candidates with activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria. NK-18 is a truncated peptide derived from NK-Lysin, an effector of cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells. In this study, we studied the antibacterial mechanism of action of NK-18. The results revealed that NK-18 has potent antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. According to our findings, NK-18 is membrane active and its target of action is not only the bacterial membrane but also the DNA in the cytoplasm. The double targets of NK-18 make it difficult for bacteria to generate resistance, which may present a new strategy to defend against multidrug-resistant bacteria and provide a new lead in the design of potent antimicrobial peptides with therapeutic application in the presence of increasing resistance to conventional antibiotics.

Membrane perturbation action mode and structure-activity relationships of Protonectin, a novel antimicrobial peptide from the venom of the neotropical social wasp Agelaia pallipes pallipes.

With the extensive use of antibiotics, multidrug-resistant bacteria emerge frequently. New antimicrobial agents with novel modes of action are urgently needed. It is now widely accepted that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) could be promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics. In this study, we aimed to study the antimicrobial activity and mechanism of action of protonectin, a cationic peptide from the venom of the neotropical social wasp Agelaia pallipes pallipes. We demonstrated that protonectin exhibits potent antimicrobial activity against a spectrum of bacteria, including multidrug-resistant strains. To further understand this mechanism, the structural features of protonectin and its analogs were studied by circular dichroism (CD). The CD spectra demonstrated that protonectin and its natural analog polybia-CP formed a typical α-helical conformation in the membrane-mimicking environment, while its proline-substituted analog had much lower or even no α-helix conformation. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated that the α-helical conformation in the membrane is required for the exhibition of antibacterial activity. In conclusion, protonectin exhibits potent antimicrobial activity by disruption of the integrity of the bacterial membrane, and its α-helical confirmation in the membrane is essential for this action.

Stearylated antimicrobial peptide melittin and its retro isomer for efficient gene transfection.

A crucial bottleneck in nonviral vector-mediated gene delivery is poor endosomal escape. Here, we constructed novel gene vectors by coupling the stearyl moiety to the N-terminus of the antimicrobial peptide melittin (stearyl-Mel) and its retro isomer (stearyl-rMel) due to their high membrane-lytic activity. As expected, stearyl-Mel showed obvious increases in endosome-lytic activity and transfection efficiency compared with the reported stearyl-TP10. More gratifyingly, the transfection efficiency of stearyl-rMel was around 10-fold greater than that of stearyl-Mel and almost reached the transfection levels of Lipofectamine 2000 due to the enhanced endosome-lytic activity. Furthermore, the stearyl-rMel/p53 plasmid complex exhibited higher p53 expression and antitumor activity than stearyl-Mel, confirming the fact that stearyl-rMel displayed higher transfection efficiency. Taken together, the combination of the stearyl moiety with retro melittin provides a novel framework for the development of excellent nonviral gene vectors.

Design of an acid-activated antimicrobial peptide for tumor therapy.

Antimicrobial peptides have received increasing attention as potential antitumor drugs due to their new mode of action. However, the systemic toxicity at high concentration always hampers their successful utilization for tumor therapy. Here, we designed a new type of acid-activated antimicrobial peptide AMitP by conjugating antimicrobial peptide MitP to its anionic binding partner MitPE via a disulfide linker. Compared with MitP, AMitP displayed significant antitumor activity at acidic pH and low cytotoxicity at normal pH. The results of MD simulations demonstrate that the changes of structure and membrane binding tendency of AMitP at different pH values played an important role in its pH-dependent antitumor activity. In addition, AMitP showed significant enzymatic stability compared with MitP, suggesting a potential for in vivo application. In short, our work opens a new avenue to develop antimicrobial peptides as potential antitumor drugs with high selectivity.

ß-l-Rhamnosylation and ß-d-Mannosylation Mediated by 4-O-Ester Groups in a Weakly Nucleophilic Environment.

eq-4-O-Acyl group directed ß-rhamnosylation and ß-mannosylation are achieved in a carborane or BARF anion formed weakly nucleophilic environment with the assistance of a 2,3-orthocarbonate group. The 4-O-acyl group plays a critical role in directing the ß-selectivity, and the weakly coordinating anion is essential to amplify this direction. The orthocarbonate group could be readily removed with 1,3-propanediol in the presence of BF3·Et2O.

A novel and low-toxic peptide DR3penA alleviates pulmonary fibrosis by regulating the MAPK/miR-23b-5p/AQP5 signaling axis.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a pathological change caused by repeated injuries and repair dysfunction of the alveolar epithelium. Our previous study revealed that the residues Asn3 and Asn4 of peptide DR8 (DHNNPQIR-NH2) could be modified to improve stability and antifibrotic activity, and the unnatural hydrophobic amino acids α-(4-pentenyl)-Ala and d-Ala were considered in this study. DR3penA (DHα-(4-pentenyl)-ANPQIR-NH2) was verified to have a longer half-life in serum and to significantly inhibit oxidative damage, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and fibrogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, DR3penA has a dosage advantage over pirfenidone through the conversion of drug bioavailability under different routes of administration. A mechanistic study revealed that DR3penA increased the expression of aquaporin 5 (AQP5) by inhibiting the upregulation of miR-23b-5p and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, indicating that DR3penA may alleviate PF by regulating MAPK/miR-23b-5p/AQP5. Safety evaluation showed that DR3penA is a peptide drug without obvious toxicity or acute side effects and has significantly improved safety compared to DR8. Thus, our findings suggest that DR3penA, as a novel and low-toxic peptide, has the potential to be a leading compound for PF therapy, which provides a foundation for the development of peptide drugs for fibrosis-related diseases.

Membrane-active action mode of polybia-CP, a novel antimicrobial peptide isolated from the venom of Polybia paulista.

The extensive use of antibiotics in medicine, the food industry, and agriculture has resulted in the frequent emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, which creates an urgent need for new antibiotics. It is now widely recognized that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) could play a promising role in fighting multidrug-resistant bacteria. Antimicrobial peptide polybia-CP was purified from the venom of the social wasp Polybia paulista. In this study, we synthesized polybia-CP and studied its action mode of antibacterial activity. Our results revealed that polybia-CP has potent antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The results from both the real bacterial membrane and the in vitro model membrane showed that polybia-CP is membrane active and that its action target is the membrane of bacteria. It is difficult for bacteria to develop resistance to polybia-CP, which may thus offer a new strategy for defending against resistant bacteria in medicine and the food and farming industries.

Design of acid-activated cell penetrating peptide for delivery of active molecules into cancer cells.

TP10-5 (TK) was screened as the most promising candidate among the designed analogues of transportan 10 (TP10), a cell penetrating peptide (CPP) with remarkable capacity for membrane translocation. However, low levels of specificity and high toxicity limit its successful use for drug delivery applications. Here, we developed a new type of acid-activated CPP (TH) by replacement of all lysines of TK with histidines. As expected, histidine-containing TH can be activated and subsequently enter cells at pH 6.0, whereas it is less active at pH 7.4. In contrast, the uptake of TK has no significant difference for both pH values. Importantly, the toxicity of TH is significantly lower than that of TK under physiological conditions. After attachment of camptothecin (CPT) to TH, this conjugate exhibited remarkable cytotoxicity to cancer cells in a pH-dependent manner compared with free CPT and TK-CPT. This study opens a new avenue to design CPPs that preferentially enter cells in acidic solid tumors, with minimal cellular uptake in normal tissues.

Improving anticancer activity and selectivity of camptothecin through conjugation with releasable substance P.

Substance P, an 11-residue neuropeptide, can be rapidly internalized through specific interaction with the neurokinin-1 receptor. Therefore, we designed and synthesized the substance P targeted camptothecin (CPT) conjugates via a releasable disulfide carbonate linker. All the conjugates exhibited comparable or stronger cytotoxicity to cancer cells that highly over-express neurokinin-1 receptor than free CPT. More importantly, the selectivity of conjugates was significantly improved compared with CPT. Our results indicated that these conjugates can be promising candidates for new chemotherapeutic drugs. In addition, increasing CPT loading or attachment of CPT to the C-terminal hexapeptide of substance P are useful strategies to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of substance P targeted conjugates.