Topical Delivery of Protein and Peptide Using Novel Cell Penetrating Peptide IMT-P8

In the 2016 study, researchers investigated the transdermal delivery capabilities of a novel cell-penetrating peptide, IMT-P8. They created fusion constructs IMT-P8-GFP and IMT-P8-KLA and applied them topically to mouse skin. The study found that IMT-P8 successfully transported both green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the proapoptotic peptide KLA into the skin and various cell lines, with IMT-P8-GFP showing higher uptake than TAT-GFP in HeLa cells. The IMT-P8-KLA was localized to the mitochondria and induced significant cell death in HeLa cells, indicating that it maintained its biological activity after internalization. In vivo experiments showed that IMT-P8 could penetrate the stratum corneum, enter the viable epidermis, and accumulate inside hair follicles. Both IMT-P8-KLA and IMT-P8-GFP were internalized into the hair follicles and dermal tissue after topical application, suggesting that IMT-P8 has potential as a topical delivery vehicle for treatments related to cosmetics and skin diseases.