Coupling PD-L1 Inhibition and Lysosomal Degradation: Innovative Anti-PD-L1 Peptides for NSCLC Immunotherapy

Antibodies targeting PD-1 and PD-L1 have achieved considerable success against various cancers, however their effectiveness is limited as both therapeutic and diagnostic tools. Meanwhile, small organic molecules and macrocyclic peptides are currently at various stages of development as modulators of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis. Here, we report an array of low molecular weight anti-PD-L1 macrocyclic peptides, among which two─FM2 and FM213─emerged as promising bifunctional suppressors of PD-1/PD-L1 bin...

Targeting Staphylococcus aureus with potent de novo-designed proline-core short antimicrobial lipopeptides

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) show great therapeutic potential due to their unique mechanism of action that guarantees broad-spectrum efficacy and limits bacterial antibiotic resistance. However, challenges such as limited stability and cytotoxicity toward host cells still limit their clinical translation, highlighting the need for new approaches, such as size reduction and lipid conjugation, to enhance their efficacy, cell penetration, stability, and safety. Herein, we report the de novo des...

Metabolic profiling reveals distinct modes of action of microalgal biostimulants in lettuce and tomato

Microalgal extracts are increasingly recognized as effective plant biostimulants, yet the physiological mechanisms driving their growth-promoting effects are only partially resolved. To characterize these modes of action, this study evaluated the metabolic reprogramming induced by four chemically distinct microalgal extracts in Lactuca sativa (lettuce) and Solanum lycopersicum (tomato). Plants were grown in vitro to isolate plant-extract effects from rhizosphere interactions. Targeted metabol...

Adiponectin and phase angle in the assessment of sarcopenia in Crohn’s disease: beyond muscle mass