Protein Enables Conformation Transition of a Hydrogel Based on Pentapeptide and Boosts Immune Response in Vivo

We report a supramolecular hydrogel based on dihistidine containing pentapeptides serving as a novel vaccine delivery system. Protein encapsulated into the hydrogel not only enhances the mechanical property up to 15-fold but also changes the conformation of the resulting nanostructure from a β-sheet to an α-helix. The resulting hybrid hydrogel enhances antigen uptake and moderately promotes dendritic cell (DC) maturation in vitro. More importantly, the pentapeptide hydrogel promotes antigen-specific antibody production in vivo and splenocyte proliferation ex vivo.