From Needle to Nibble: PEGylated Nanocarriers for Oral Thymopentin Immunomodulation
Darren Svirskis – Professor, School of Pharmacy, The University of Auckland; Thomas Proft – Professor, School of Medicine, The University of Auckland; Jacelyn Loh – Senior Research Fellow, School of Medicine, The University of Auckland; Jingyuan Wen – Professor, School of Pharmacy, The University of Auckland
Professor University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Introduction: Oral administration is the most patient-preferred route for drug delivery, yet oral delivery of therapeutic peptides remains challenging due to enzymatic degradation and limited intestinal absorption [1]. Thymopentin (TP5), a clinically used immunomodulatory peptide, is restricted to parenteral administration because of rapid gastrointestinal degradation and poor bioavailability [2]. PEGylated nanocarriers offer a promising strategy to protect peptides from digestion, enhance epithelial transport, and improve systemic exposure [3]. This study aimed to develop and evaluate PEGylated nanocarriers to improve oral stability, bioavailability, and immunomodulatory efficacy of TP5.
Learning Objectives:
To describe the main challenges in oral peptide delivery and strategies to overcome them.
To explain the design, optimisation, and functional features of PEGylated nanocarriers for TP5.
To interpret pharmacokinetic and immunomodulatory data demonstrating the efficacy of TP5-PEG.
