Current autoimmune disease treatment drugs mostly use non-specific immunosuppressants that interfere with innate and acquired immune responses, and have strong side effects. Polypeptide drugs that target specific epitopes can treat autoimmune diseases, which can avoid traditional The non-specific immunosuppression of the drug has shown good therapeutic effects in autoimmune disease animal models and I clinical trials. Complete antigen or protein immunization may cause severe allergic reactions and exacerbate the deterioration of the disease. The therapeutic epitope peptides (only a small fragment of the full-length antigen) can not only play a role in immunotherapy, but also reduce adverse reactions. It is a new and promising treatment strategy.

3 sources of candidate peptides that inhibit autoimmune response:

1. Peptides derived from autoantigens and antibodies

Polypeptides derived from autoantigens can be used to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, and show good therapeutic effects in induced or spontaneous autoimmune disease mouse models.

2. Cytokine-derived peptides

Cytokine-derived polypeptides can neutralize the interaction between inflammatory cytokines and their receptors, and inhibit the occurrence of autoimmune reactions.

3. T cell receptor variant peptide ligands (alteredpeptideligands.APLs) Some T cell receptor (Tcell receptor, TCR) variant peptide ligands (alteredpeptideligands, APLs) can inhibit autoimmune response.

Synthetic peptides can intervene in a variety of autoimmune reactions have received more and more attention and become a potential drug candidate for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. The introduction of pseudo-peptide bonds or reverse modification of the amino-terminal carboxyl end of the peptide amino acid sequence can increase the stability of the peptide drug and improve its biological activity; peptide therapy can avoid allergic reactions caused by the immunogenicity of the full-length protein, and is safer , Has broad application prospects in autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases