Targeting peptide functionalized liposomes towards aminopeptidase N for precise tumor diagnosis and therapy

Abstract

Aminopeptidase N (APN/CD13) is closely related to the growth of cancers and is suggested as a suitable target for anti-cancer therapy. Based on the “one-bead-one-compound” (OBOC) approach on a microarray device, we screened out a novel affinity peptide LN (YEVGHRC). It was determined that LN could specifically recognize and bind to APN. Moreover, LN-functionalized liposomes (LN-LS) could achieve efficient nano-encapsulated drug delivery under APN-overexpressing tumor conditions in vitro and in vivo. We expect that LN-LS could provide a new strategy for APN-positive tumor diagnosis and therapy.