Nanotechnology breakthrough paves the way for oral delivery of anti‑fibrotic peptide therapies
A new study published in the Journal of Biomedical Science has uncovered a promising way to turn peptide‑based treatments - once only available by injection or pump-infusion - into simple oral medicines.
The research team has shown that tiny biodegradable nanoparticles can safely carry anti‑fibrotic peptides, including the hormone relaxin and its drug‑like variant B7‑33, through the gut and into the bloodstream. This could pave the way for future tablet‑based treatments for fibrosis, a condition where harmful scar tissue builds up in organs such as the heart.
Fibrosis is a major driver of chronic disease, but many of the most effective anti‑fibrotic peptide therapies break down too quickly in the gut to be taken orally. To overcome this, the scientists attached relaxin‑based peptides to specially designed nanoparticles. This protected the peptides long enough for them to be taken up infiltrating immune cells and transported to the circulation and target organs where they were needed.
In preclinical models of heart disease, this oral treatment not only reached the circulation and heart but also restored heart function and reduced scarring within just one week. Over a longer treatment period, the orally delivered nanoparticle‑peptides outperformed a commonly used heart failure medication, providing greater reductions in fibrosis and improved overall heart health.
Co‑senior authors Professor Chrishan Samuel, Head of the Fibrosis Laboratory, and Dr Amlan Chakraborty at Monash University’s Biomedicine Discovery Institute, say the breakthrough could reshape how peptide therapies are used in general.
“We used nanotechnology to solve one of the biggest limitations of peptide medicines - their inability to be absorbed through the gut,” Professor Samuel said.
“By attaching relaxin‑family peptides to these nanoparticles, we were able to prolong their activity and, importantly, make them suitable for oral delivery. This approach could open the door for many other peptide therapies that currently require injections.”
The findings represent a significant leap forward in developing non‑invasive treatments for cardiovascular fibrosis and may have broad applications across many other diseases driven by tissue scarring.
Read the full paper: Immune cell uptake of glycinated nanoparticles conjugated to anti-fibrotic peptides enables their prolonged activity and oral administration
DOI: 10.1186/s12929-025-01198-8
GENERAL MEDIA ENQUIRIES
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Committed to making discoveries that will relieve the future burden of disease, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University brings together more than 120 internationally renowned research teams. Spanning seven discovery programs across Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Development and Stem Cells, Infection, Immunity, Metabolism, Diabetes and Obesity, and Neuroscience, Monash BDI is one of the largest biomedical research institutes in Australia. Our researchers are supported by world-class technology and infrastructure, and partner with industry, clinicians and researchers internationally to enhance lives through discovery.