A PD-1 peptide antagonist exhibits potent anti-tumor and immune regulatory activity

Abstract Antibodies blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway have achieved great success. However, some disadvantages of antibodies have been found, which limit their clinical applications. Peptide antagonists are alternatives to antibodies in PD-1/PD-L1 blockage, but successful studies in this area are limited. A PD-1 targeting peptide, P–F4, was identified using phage display. P–F4 bound PD-1 with an affinity of 0.119 μM, inhibited PD-1/PD-L1 interaction at the cellular level and modulated T cell activity in vitro. We have overcome the poor solubility and rapid degradation problems of this peptide by packaging P–F4 in nanoparticles. In vivo experiments demonstrated that P–F4 nanoparticles could strongly inhibit tumor growth in a CT26 mouse model. Further research revealed that treatment of P–F4 nanoparticles increased CD8+T cells and reduced Tregs in the tumor microenvironment and tumor-draining lymph nodes. It was shown that treatment of P–F4 nanoparticles also increased lymphocytic activities, including proliferation, cytokine secretion and cytolytic activity. Moreover, computer modeling suggested that the P–F4 binding site to PD-1 overlaps with the PD-L1 binding surface. In this study, a peptide candidate for cancer immunotherapy was provided, and its working mechanisms were studied.