Theranostic nanomaterials to overcome the challenges in peptide-based cancer therapy

Globally, the number of cancer cases and death rates are increasing, making it necessary to develop new and improved medications for the treatment of cancer. Owing to a broad range of physio-chemical properties, Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs) possessing tumoricidal properties and Anticancer Peptides (ACPs) are promising alternatives for enhanced cancer therapy. Recently, biopharmaceuticals have changed the rules of radiation therapy and chemotherapy by introducing peptide therapy for cancer treatments. However, several limitations obstruct the clinical efficacy of peptide-based cancer therapies, which include limited target specificity, oral intake, and half-life payloads. The integration of theranostic nanomaterials could be facilitated as a transformative strategy to address these challenges and enhance the potential of peptide-based cancer therapy. Increasing applications of recent times of peptide-nano hybrids have addressed the crucial issues related to conventional peptide-based drug therapy by enhancing the druggability. This review aims to explore the impact of nano-formulated peptides as an anticancer agent, highlighting the involvement of nanotechnology as an enabling tool.