Research Progress of Peptide Carriers in Nucleic Acid Delivery

Nucleic acid drugs can achieve gene knockdown or silencing, as well as induction of protein expression in vivo, playing a unique significance in disease prevention and intervention. Currently available nucleic acid drugs include antisense oligonucleotides (ASO), small interfering RNA (siRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and messenger RNA (mRNA), all of which are unstable under both ambient environments and physiological conditions, thus there is an urgent need for safe and efficient delivery carriers. Peptides have the advantages of low immunogenicity, biodegradability, high internalization efficiency and versatility, which are beneficial to improve the bioavailability of nucleic acid drugs as well as their targeted distribution in vivo. This paper reviews the related research progress of peptide carriers for nucleic acid drug delivery, and discusses the applicability of peptide-nucleic acid nanotherapeutics in different formulations and diseases, providing some reference for improving the diversity and effectiveness of nucleic acid-based modern therapies.