Could Antimicrobial-like Peptides Play Multifunctional Roles in the Course of Cancer Treatments and Therapies: A Review and Prospectus
Gerald J Mizejewski.
The present report focuses on the use of antimicrobial-like (AMPL) amphipathic peptides as therapeutic agents in the course of treating human cancers. As an example of such an AMPL peptide, a 34 amino acid peptide has been isolated and synthesized from a tumor-associated full-length pregnancy protein, termed alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). This alpha fetoprotein derived peptide has been termed the “Growth Inhibitory Peptide” (GIP). Henceforth, this report will describe the characteristics of an AMPL peptide together with the origin, discovery, significance, and function of the AMPL-GIP. These studies have employed both in vivo and in vitro-based experiments using AMPL-GIP. Following an initial discussion of AMPL peptides, the mechanism of cell penetration and tumor growth/suppression by such peptides via the cell growth cycle is described. Additional biological activities, toxicities, and side effects of GIP as a potential therapeutic peptides agent are further addressed. Overall, the topics covered in the present report discuss the discovery, isolation, purification, and assay developments of an AMPL-peptide while describing the advantages of the multiple biologic activities exhibited by this AMPL-growth inhibitory peptide.
