Cell penetrating peptide‐modified pharmaceutical nanocarriers for intracellular drug and gene delivery

Cell‐penetrating peptides (CPPs) including TAT peptide (TATp) have been successfully used for intracellular delivery of a broad variety of cargos including various nanoparticulate pharmaceutical carriers (liposomes, micelles, nanoparticles). Here, we will consider the main results in this area, with a special emphasis on TATp‐mediated delivery of liposomes and DNA. We will also address the development of “smart” stimuli‐sensitive nanocarriers, where cell‐penetrating function can be activated by the decreased pH only inside the biological target minimizing thus the interaction of drug‐loaded nanocarriers with nontarget cells. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept Sci) 90: 604–610, 2008. This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The “Published Online” date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com