Collagen Mimetic Peptides for Targeting Pathological Collagen

The dysregulation of collagen remodeling, implicated in diseases like fibrosis, tumors, and arthritis, highlights the need for accurate detection of pathological collagen for diagnosis and prognosis. Innovative collagen mimetic peptides selectively bind to denatured collagen, promoting triple helix refolding by interacting with its unfolded chains, demonstrating high specificity for pathological collagen. This chapter explores the development of collagen mimetic pathological collagen targeting peptide probes (PCTPs) as crucial tools for targeted collagen recognition. It delves into various triple helical peptide probes featuring repetitive Pro-Hyp-Gly and Gly-Hyp-Hyp sequences, alongside variants incorporating aromatic residues Tyr and Phe at the X position and photo-triggered Gly. Additionally, it underscores the construction of single-stranded peptides using bulky dye and repulsion-destabilized methods, with a particular focus on an intrinsically non-trimerizing peptide probe designed for targeting pathological collagen. Furthermore, double-stranded peptides, including dimeric collagen mimic peptides and cyclic collagen mimetic peptides, are introduced. The chapter concludes with detailed protocols for targeting pathological collagen, encompassing detection in solutions, imaging in tissues, 3D cells and in vivo applications.