New bioactive motifs and their use in functionalized self-assembling peptides for NSC differentiation and neural...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Neuroscience
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Developing functionalized biomaterials is crucial for enhancing transplanted cell engraftment and tissue regeneration.
• Nervous tissue engineering benefits from novel motifs that promote neural stem cell (NSC) engraftment and nerve fiber regeneration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discover and develop novel functional motifs for enhancing transplanted stem cell engraftment and nervous fiber regeneration.
• To create functionalized self-assembling peptides (SAPs) as biomimetic scaffolds for neural tissue engineering and spinal cord injury repair.

Main Methods:

• Phage display technology was used to identify peptide sequences that bind to neural precursor cells (NPCs).
• Identified peptides were linked to LDLK12 self-assembling peptides (SAPs) to create functionalized SAPeptides.
• Characterization of nanostructured hydrogels using atomic force microscopy, circular dichroism, and rheology; in vitro studies on NSC proliferation and differentiation; in vivo testing in a rat spinal cord injury model.

Main Results:

• Functionalized LDLK12 SAPeptides supported human and murine NSC proliferation and differentiation in vitro.
• The Ac-FAQ functionalized SAPeptide demonstrated the highest NSC viability and neural differentiation in vitro.
• In vivo, Ac-FAQ treatment fostered nervous tissue regrowth and improved locomotor recovery in rats with spinal cord injury; non-functionalized LDLK12 showed intermediate results.

Conclusions:

• Hydrogels functionalized with phage-derived peptides are promising biomimetic scaffolds for in vitro NSC differentiation and in vivo regenerative therapy of the injured nervous system.
• This multidisciplinary approach can be adapted to customize SAPeptides for various tissue engineering applications.