Immunity and Anti-inflammation

By Cocer Peptides         25 days ago.

The immune system maintains body homeostasis through a complex network of cells and molecules, while dysregulated immune responses can lead to infections, chronic inflammation, or autoimmune diseases. The core of immune regulation, inflammation alleviation, and adjuvant therapy for autoimmune diseases lies in precise intervention in immune cell activation, inflammatory signaling pathways, and immune tolerance mechanisms. As bioactive molecules, peptide substances, with their high target specificity and biocompatibility, can specifically modulate immune cell functions, block pro-inflammatory signal transduction, and reshape the immune microenvironment, providing innovative solutions for the treatment of infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and inflammation-related conditions.

Figure 1 A Generalized Scheme to Explain the Origin of Chronic Inflammation. Source: Innate Immunity Gone Awry: Linking Microbial Infections to Chronic Inflammation and Cancer (2006).

Core Application Areas

1. Immune Regulation: Reshaping Immune Cell Response Equilibrium

Peptide substances achieve bidirectional regulation of the intensity and direction of immune responses by modulating the differentiation, proliferation, and effector functions of immune cells.

Directed regulation of T cell subsets

Peptides such as Thymosin Alpha-1, as bioactive peptides derived from the thymus, primarily promote the maturation of T cell precursors into functional T cells, enhancing the synergistic effects between CD4⁺ helper T cells and CD8⁺ cytotoxic T cells. By activating intracellular signaling pathways, these peptides improve the antigen recognition ability of T cells, promote cytokine secretion, and enhance the body’s efficiency in clearing pathogens and abnormal cells, making them suitable for infection prevention in immunocompromised individuals and adjuvant cancer therapy.

Regulatory T cell-inducing peptides

Short peptides derived from natural human proteins can selectively activate the proliferation of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and inhibit overactivated effector T cells. These Tregs maintain immune tolerance in organ transplant rejection and autoimmune diseases by secreting inhibitory cytokines to suppress excessive immune activation.

Enhancement of innate immune cell functions

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) such as LL37 exhibit dual functions of antimicrobial activity and immune regulation. They directly act on pathogen membranes for bactericidal effects and induce dendritic cell maturation, promoting antigen presentation and T cell activation, thus playing a critical role in immune defense at physical barriers such as the skin and mucosa.

Figure 2 The regulatory mechanism of AMPs on macrophages. Source: The Contribution of Antimicrobial Peptides to Immune Cell Function: A Review of Recent Advances (2023).

2. Inflammation Alleviation: Multi-pathway Blockade of Inflammatory Cascades

Targeting key nodes of the inflammatory response, peptide substances exert effects by inhibiting pro-inflammatory signals, promoting anti-inflammatory mediator production, and repairing the tissue microenvironment.

Central inhibition of the NF-κB pathway

Gastrointestinal protective peptides such as BPC-157 intervene in the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway, suppressing the transcription and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and reducing local tissue inflammatory edema. Additionally, they promote the expression of mucosal repair-related genes, accelerating the healing of damaged tissues, demonstrating dual anti-inflammatory and reparative effects in diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and gastric ulcers.

Kininogen-derived peptides

Peptides such as KPV regulate neutrophil activity and adhesion molecule expression, reducing the infiltration of inflammatory cells at injury sites, decreasing oxidative stress damage, and improving the local microenvironment. These properties make them suitable for treating inflammation-related diseases such as ischemia-reperfusion injury and diabetic foot ulcers.

Synergistic regulation of mitochondria and oxidative stress

Mitochondria-targeted peptides such as SS-31 target mitochondrial membrane structures, protecting mitochondrial functional integrity, reducing excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and inhibiting apoptosis signal activation. This alleviates oxidative stress-induced tissue damage and provides organ protection in cardiovascular inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases.

3. Adjuvant Therapy for Autoimmune Diseases: Reconstructing the Immune Tolerance Microenvironment

Aiming at the misdirected attack of the immune system on self-components in autoimmune diseases, peptide substances exert adjuvant therapeutic effects by regulating immune recognition and effector functions.

Antigen-specific immune tolerance induction

Short peptides derived from self-antigen epitopes bind to molecules on the surface of antigen-presenting cells, inducing immune cell tolerance to self-antigens. This reduces the production of autoantibodies and the tissue attack by effector T cells, providing a targeted intervention strategy for diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Balanced regulation of the cytokine network

Certain peptides modulate the differentiation of Th1/Th2/Th17 cell subsets and cytokine secretion patterns, inhibiting excessive expression of pro-inflammatory factors and promoting the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines. This alleviates chronic inflammatory responses in autoimmune diseases and improves tissue damage.

Conclusion

Peptide substances in the field of immunity and anti-inflammation have become important tools for regulating immune balance and controlling inflammatory responses due to their precise target specificity and multi-mechanistic synergistic effects. By intervening in T cell differentiation, inflammatory signaling pathways, and immune tolerance mechanisms, these substances not only enhance the body’s defense against pathogens but also inhibit tissue damage caused by excessive immune responses, providing differentiated solutions for the treatment of infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and chronic inflammation.

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