Advances in Peptide Delivery: Strategies, Formulations, and Therapeutic Applications

A special issue of Bioengineering (ISSN 2306-5354). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanobiotechnology and Biofabrication".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 857

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Bioengineering Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
Interests: therapeutic proteins; liposome-assisted drug delivery; bioactive peptides and protein; growth factors
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Peptides represent a rapidly expanding class of therapeutic agents, offering high potency, specificity, and generally favorable safety profiles compared to small molecules. Their potential spans a wide range of applications, including oncology, metabolic diseases, infectious diseases, and central nervous system disorders. However, the inherent limitations of peptides—such as poor metabolic stability, short plasma half-life, and low membrane permeability—pose significant challenges to their effective delivery and clinical translation.

This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest breakthroughs in overcoming these formidable delivery barriers, while also exploring the application of peptide materials in the field of organoid research. We invite contributions that explore innovative strategies to enhance the stability, bioavailability, and targeted delivery of peptide therapeutics, as well as cutting-edge research on peptides as organoid scaffold materials. Key areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the rational design of stable peptide analogs, the development of advanced formulation platforms (e.g., nanoparticles, liposomes, hydrogels, and implants), the application of novel technologies for non-invasive administration (e.g., oral, transdermal, and pulmonary delivery), and research on peptide-based organoid scaffold materials (including bionic scaffold design, the coordinated delivery of scaffolds and peptide therapeutics, the regulation of organoid growth microenvironments by scaffolds, and the evaluation of scaffold biocompatibility and in vivo degradability).​

Furthermore, we welcome research on cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), peptide–drug conjugates,, stimuli-responsive delivery systems that enable precise spatial and temporal control over peptide release, and the application of peptide scaffold-supported organoid models in disease simulation, drug screening, and regenerative medicine. Manuscripts centered on novel evaluation models (e.g., in silico screening and prediction models based on computational pharmaceutics, virtual organ simulation systems) for the early assessment of peptide drug stability, permeability, and in vivo performance, alongside in vitro models for permeability assessment, in vivo pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) studies, clinical trials verifying the efficacy of emerging peptide delivery systems, and clinical translation research on peptide scaffold-based organoid models are especially encouraged for submission.

By bringing together cutting-edge research and comprehensive reviews, this Special Issue seeks to provide a valuable resource for scientists and clinicians working at the intersection of pharmaceutical technology, chemical biology, and medicine, ultimately accelerating the development of the next generation of peptide-based therapeutics.

Prof. Dr. Qi Xiang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • peptide therapeutics
  • drug delivery systems
  • bioavailability
  • formulation strategies
  • nanoparticles
  • cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs)
  • non-invasive delivery
  • targeted delivery
  • stability enhancement
  • pharmacokinetics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 6566 KB  
Article
Preparation of Artemisia argyi-Derived Extracellular Nanovesicles and Their Protective Effects Against Oxidative Stress-Induced Senescence in Endometrial Stromal Cells
by Xiudan Zheng, Rui Huang, Zhijun Liu, Tianfeng Liu, Han Lin, Lanlan Yin, Qiang Wu and Mingyan Zhao
Bioengineering 2026, 13(3), 256; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering13030256 - 24 Feb 2026
Viewed by 570
Abstract
Oxidative stress-induced endometrial injury has been shown to contribute to infertility; however, effective strategies that can simultaneously scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) and restore mitochondrial and antioxidant homeostasis remain elusive. In this study, we isolated extracellular nanovesicles from Artemisia argyi (A-NVs) and investigated [...] Read more.
Oxidative stress-induced endometrial injury has been shown to contribute to infertility; however, effective strategies that can simultaneously scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) and restore mitochondrial and antioxidant homeostasis remain elusive. In this study, we isolated extracellular nanovesicles from Artemisia argyi (A-NVs) and investigated their protective effects on H2O2-damaged human endometrial stromal cells (hESCs). We discovered that A-NVs possess a typical lipid bilayer structure and contain a variety of bioactive components. Our metabolomic analysis indicates that A-NVs can be regarded as a “natural drug reservoir”, in which flavonoids account for approximately 10.8%. We demonstrate that A-NVs can be efficiently taken up by cells, improve cell viability, reduce intracellular and mitochondrial ROS levels, enhance superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, upregulate the expression of catalase (CAT), SOD1, and SOD2, and partially restore mitochondrial membrane potential. Mechanistically, A-NVs exert antioxidant effects by activating the SIRT1/PGC-1α/Nrf2 signaling axis. SIRT1 activation further alleviates H2O2-induced premature senescence, as evidenced by a 71.8% reduction in SA-β-Gal-positive cells compared with the H2O2 group, together with downregulation of p53 and p21 expression. These positive protective effects can be blocked by the SIRT1 inhibitor EX-527, confirming the central role of this pathway. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that A-NVs can maintain redox and mitochondrial homeostasis while inhibiting oxidative stress-related senescence progression, underscoring their application potential in endometrial repair and functional recovery. Full article
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