Synthesis of a new peptide and evaluation of its cytotoxicity and regenerative properties by prediction and in vitro experiment

Abstract

Identifying compounds that can accelerate or enhance the natural healing process of fractures, skin wounds, tendons, and skeletal muscle tears is a significant challenge in medical practice, as there are few pharmaceutical products specifically designed to promote healing. Designing and creating effective peptides for wound healing remains difficult because not all new peptides are bioavailable, bioactive, resistant to proteolysis, and non-toxic. To overcome this problem, the properties of a designed peptide are predicted prior to its synthesis. This study aimed to predict the toxicity and biological activity of a peptide with regenerative properties at its design stage, followed by synthesis and confirmation of the results in an in vitro experiment. The result of the molecular peptide transplantation process was the creation of a new cyclic peptide with the amino acid sequence CTKSICTKKTLRTCPPIC. The synthesized peptide exhibited complete consistency with the predicted characteristics. The absence of toxicity of the peptide was confirmed in a cell line experiment. The regenerative properties of the peptide were demonstrated in an in vitro experiment. However, before the developed and synthesized regenerative peptide can be used in practice, it must be proven effective in preclinical and clinical studies. © 2025 Sergey Tikhonov et al.