Anti-Glioma Activity Achieved by Dual Blood–Brain Barrier/Glioma Targeting Naive Chimeric Peptides-Based Co-Assembled Nanophototheranostics

Peptide monomers can either self-assemble with themselves enacting a solo-component assembly or they can co-assemble by interacting with other suitable partners to mediate peptide co-assembly. Peptide co-assemblies represent an innovative class of naive, multifunctional, bio-inspired supramolecular constructs that result in the production of nanostructures with widespread functional, structural, and chemical multiplicity. Herein, the co-assembly of novel chimeric peptides (conjugates of T7 (HAIYPRH)/t-Lyp-1 (CGNKRTR) peptides and aurein 1.2 (GLFDIIKKIAESF)) has been explored as a means to produce glioma theranostics exhibiting combinatorial chemo-phototherapy. Briefly, we have reported here the design and solid phase synthesis of a naive generation of twin-functional peptide drugs incorporating the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and glioma dual-targeting functionalities along with anti-glioma activity (G-Anti G and B-Anti G). Additionally, we have addressed their multicomponent co-assembly and explored their potential application as glioma drug delivery vehicles. Our naive peptide drug-based nanoparticles (NPs) successfully demonstrated a heightened glioma-specific delivery and anti-glioma activity. Multicomponent indocyanine green (ICG)-loaded peptide co-assembled NPs (PINPs: with a hydrodynamic size of 348 nm and a zeta-potential of 5 mV) showed enhanced anti-glioma responses in several cellular assays involving C6 cells. These included a mass demolition with no wound closure (i.e., a 100% cell destruction) and around 63% collaborative chemo-phototoxicity (with both a photothermal and photodynamic effect) after near infrared (NIR) 808 laser irradiation. The dual targeting ability of peptide bioconjugates towards both the BBB and glioma cells, presents new opportunities for designing tailored and better peptide-based nanostructures or nanophototheranostics for glioma.