Citation: Ruipeng Shi, Zhangfeng Zhong, LuXi Wang, Yifei Mao, Ying Tang, Yan Wang, Jinchao Wei, Beibei Xie, Peng Li. Assembly of peptide guided precise accumulation and retention of nano-herb medicine for enhanced immunotherapy of colorectal cancer[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(12): 112292. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.112292 shu

Assembly of peptide guided precise accumulation and retention of nano-herb medicine for enhanced immunotherapy of colorectal cancer

Ruipeng Shi ^{a, 1} ,
Zhangfeng Zhong ^{a, 1} ,
LuXi Wang ^a ,
Yifei Mao ^a ,
Ying Tang ^a ,
Yan Wang ^b ,
Jinchao Wei ^a ,
Beibei Xie ^{a, *,} ,
Peng Li ^{a, *,}

a.
Macao Centre for Research and Development in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao 999078, China
b.
National Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine Center for Cardiovascular Disease, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China

beibeixie@um.edu.mo

pli1978@hotmail.com

Received Date: 22 May 2025
Revised Date: 15 December 2025
Accepted Date: 16 December 2025
Available Online: 16 December 2025

Figures(4)

The application of nano-encapsulation-based drug delivery systems has become increasingly prevalent in oncological therapy. However, the suboptimal accumulation and retention of nanomedicines within tumor cells pose significant challenges to enhance therapeutic efficacy. Herein, we engineered peptide-capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) capable of intracellular self-aggregation into micron-sized clusters, thereby facilitating specific accumulation and retention of encapsulated drugs within tumor cells. In this innovative design, polydopamine (PDA) was in situ polymerized on the surface of MSNs loaded with berberine (BBR) and evodiamine (EVO), respectively. A peptide was conjugated to PDA via esterification. The coating of the colon cancer cell membrane could further enhance the drug encapsulation and targeting ability of MSNs. The resultant nanomedicine could assemble into micron-sized MSN clusters through peptide self-assembly, resulting in a heightened concentration and prolonged retention of nano-herb medicine. The combination of acid-responsive, sustainable release of nano-herb medicine from these nanocarriers and immunotherapy with an immune checkpoint inhibitor (anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (anti-PD-L1)) had been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of colon cancer. This study not only presents a pragmatic approach to the treatment of colon cancer but also contributes novel perspectives to the development of intelligent drug delivery systems.
- Self-assembly,
- Nano-herb medicine,
- Biomimetic,
- Immunotherapy,
- Colorectal cancer
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沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院沈阳 110142