Skin-penetrating peptides derived from computational simulation improve transdermal absorption and facilitate topical treatment of melanoma

Transdermal drug delivery relies heavily on the skin permeability of therapeutic agents. In order to develop a peptide-based delivery strategy for promoting transdermal absorption, the key physicochemical factors influencing skin permeability are first identified through cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) screening and computational simulation. Penetratin exhibits the most outstanding permeability and safety among CPPs from various origins, and positive surface patch area emerges as the key property correlated with skin permeability of the peptides. Based on these findings, a precise model to predict skin permeability of the peptides is established, leading to the computational redesign of penetratin’s amino acid sequence. The transdermal delivery efficiency of optimized penetratin derivative (589WP) is significantly improved in vitro compared with wild-type penetratin and visualized through in vivo imaging. Furthermore, the anti-metabolic drug floxuridine (FUdR) is covalently conjugated with 589WP via ester linkage, leading to accelerated FUdR release due to esterase degradation. Subsequently, this conjugate is formulated into an anhydrous gel, which significantly inhibits melanoma growth with topical application, outperforming a higher dose of free FUdR without observed skin irritancy or toxicity. The peptide prediction and design approaches established herein hold great potential for advancing transdermal drug delivery.