ACP	Anticancer peptide
AMP	Antimicrobial peptide
BBB	Blood-brain barrier
CD	Circular dichroism
CPP	Cell-penetrating peptide
DFT	Density functional theory
DLS	Dynamic light scattering
DSC	Differential scanning calorimetry
EDC	Ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide
EpCAM	Epithelial cell adhesion molecule
FDA	Food and Drug Administration
HIV	Human deficiency virus
HA	Hyaluronic acid
HPLC	High performance liquid chromatography
ICP-MS	Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
ITC	Isothermal calorimetry
LMWP	Low molecular weight protamine
LD	Linear dichroism
MAP	Model amphipathic peptide
NP	Nanoparticle
PBS	Phosphate buffered saline
pDNA	Plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid
PEG	Polyethylene glycol
PEI	Polyethylenimine
pKa	Acid dissociation constant
PLA	Poly(lactic acid)
PLGA	Poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid
PMMA	Poly(methyl methacrylate)
PNA	Peptide nucleic acid
PTD	Protein transduction domain
PTT	Photothermal therapy
QD	Quantum dot
ROS	Reactive oxygen species
RGD	Arginylglycylaspartic acid; Arg-Gly-Asp
SERS	Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
siRNA	Small interfering ribonucleic acid
SLN	Solid lipid nanoparticle
SPR	Surface plasmon resonance
Tat	Transactivator protein
Tf	Transferrin
TLA	Three-letter acronym
WHO	World Health Organization
XPS	X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy