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Author Spotlight: Improving the Production of Self-Assembling Fibers and Peptide Hydrogels for Superior Biocompatibility
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Injectable nanofibrillar hydrogels based on charge-complementary peptide co-assemblies.
Bethsymarie Soto Morales1, Renjie Liu, Juanpablo Olguin
1J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA. ghudalla@bme.ufl.edu.
Biomaterials Science
|January 13, 2021
Summary
Charge-complementary peptide nanofibers form injectable hydrogels with tunable properties. Varying peptide sequences alter hydrogel viscoelasticity and pore structure, showing potential for therapeutic delivery systems.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Drug Delivery Systems
Background:
- Injectable hydrogels offer minimally-invasive local administration for therapeutic delivery.
- Charge-complementary peptide nanofibers self-assemble into hydrogels under physiological conditions, suitable for encapsulating biotherapeutics.
- Understanding the relationship between peptide sequence and hydrogel physical properties is crucial for optimizing therapeutic carriers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how the sequences of charge-complementary peptides influence the physical properties of self-assembled hydrogels.
- To evaluate the biocompatibility and in vivo behavior of these peptide-based hydrogels.
- To establish the potential of tunable peptide hydrogels for localized therapeutic cargo delivery.
Main Methods:
- Co-assembly of various charge-complementary CATCH(+/-) peptides.
- Oscillatory rheology to assess hydrogel viscoelasticity and recovery after disruption.
- Cryogenic scanning electron microscopy to analyze hydrogel pore size and structure.
- ζ-potential measurements to determine nanofiber charge state.
- In vivo subcutaneous injection in mice to evaluate inflammatory response and antibody production.
Main Results:
- Hydrogel viscoelasticity, pore size, and pore structure are dependent on the specific pairing of CATCH(+/-) peptides.
- Hydrogels exhibit varying degrees of recovery after high-stress disruption based on peptide pairing.
- In vivo studies showed differential inflammatory responses to CATCH(4+/6-) and CATCH(6+/4-) hydrogels, with no antibody generation against the peptides.
- No clear correlation was found between nanofiber charge state and hydrogel physical properties.
Conclusions:
- CATCH(+/-) peptides form biocompatible injectable hydrogels with tunable viscoelastic properties.
- Peptide sequence is a key determinant of hydrogel structure and mechanical behavior.
- These findings highlight the potential of CATCH(+/-) peptide hydrogels as adaptable carriers for localized therapeutic delivery.
