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Water-Alcohol Bigels from Fatty Acylated Dipeptides
Debika Datta1, Ramakrishnan Nagaraj2, Nitin Chaudhary1
1Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering , Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati , Guwahati 781 039 , India.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B
|December 28, 2019
Summary
Simple fatty acylated dipeptides form biocompatible alcohol/water bigels. These peptide-based gels show fibrous structures and can encapsulate and release anticancer drugs, offering potential for drug delivery applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biotechnology
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Peptide-based gels are advanced biocompatible soft materials.
- 9-Fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-protected amino acids, short peptides, and peptide amphiphiles are recognized as effective gelators.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate alcohol/water bigels formed by fatty acylated dipeptides.
- To explore the gelation capabilities of hydrophobic amino acids (Val, Ile, Leu) with different fatty acyl groups (lauroyl, myristoyl, palmitoyl).
Main Methods:
- Synthesis and purification of fatty acylated dipeptides.
- Gelation studies in alcohol/water mixtures.
- Characterization using electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy.
- Drug delivery studies with docetaxel.
Main Results:
- Eight out of 27 synthesized peptides formed distinct bigels in alcohol/water mixtures.
- Electron microscopy revealed fibrous aggregates in the gels.
- Infrared spectroscopy indicated a β-sheet conformation in the peptidic regions.
- The Ma-IV ethanol/water bigel demonstrated successful entrapment and sustained release of docetaxel.
Conclusions:
- Fatty acylated dipeptides, particularly those with hydrophobic amino acids, are effective gelators for alcohol/water systems.
- These peptide-based bigels exhibit suitable characteristics for drug delivery applications.
- The ease of synthesis and purification makes these simple amphipathic peptides promising candidates for gelator development.
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