Cell penetrating peptide inhibitors of Nuclear Factor-kappa B

Abstract

The nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) transcription factors are activated by a range of stimuli including pro-inflammatory cytokines. Active NF-κB regulates the expression of genes involved in inflammation and cell survival and aberrant NF-κB activity plays pathological roles in certain types of cancer and diseases characterized by chronic inflammation. NF-κB signaling is an attractive target for the development of novel anti-inflammatory or anti-cancer drugs and we discuss here how the method of peptide transduction has been used to specifically target NF-κB. Peptide transduction relies on the ability of certain small cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) to enter cells, and a panel of CPP-linked inhibitors (CPP-Is) has been developed to directly inhibit NF-κB signaling. Remarkably, several of these NF-κB-targeting CPP-Is are effective in vivo and therefore offer exciting potential in the clinical setting.