Design, synthesis and bioactivity evaluation of novel fusion peptides and their CPT conjugates inducing effective anti-tumor responses on HER2 positive tumors

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) represents an ideal target for antibody drug development, abnormal expression of the HER2 gene is associated with multiple tumor types. Pertuzumab, as the first monoclonal antibody inhibitor of HER2 dimerization, has been FDA-approved for HER2-positive patients. In order to enhance the activity of HER2-targeted peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) developed based on pertuzumab, a novel class of conjugates 1–9 was designed and synthesized by fusing the N-terminal peptide sequence of the second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (SMAC) with P1, followed by conjugation with CPT molecules. Compound 4 exhibited excellent in vitro anti-tumor activity across the three HER2-positive cell lines, comparable to the activity of CPT. Apoptosis induction assays indicated that the synergistic effect of the SMAC sequence enhanced the pro-apoptotic activity of the conjugate. Western Blot analysis and Caspase activity studies validated the mechanism through which SMAC peptides, in synergy with CPT, enhance the activity of PDCs. In vivo studies demonstrated that compound 4 possesses superior anti-tumor activity compared to CPT and can effectively mitigate potential renal toxicity associated with free SMAC peptides. In conclusion, conjugate 4 exhibited excellent anti-tumor activity both in vitro and in vivo, offering potential for further development as a novel peptide-conjugated drug.