Incorporation of Natural and Recombinant Collagen Proteins within Fmoc-Based Self-Assembling Peptide Hydrogels

Hydrogel biomaterials mimic the natural extracellular matrix through their nanofibrous ultrastructure and composition and provide an appropriate environment for cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions within their polymeric network. Hydrogels can be modified with different proteins, cytokines, or cell-adhesion motifs to control cell behavior and cell differentiation. Collagens are desirable and versatile proteins for hydrogel modification due to their abundance in the vertebrate extracellular matrix and their interactions with cell-surface receptors. Here, we report a quick, inexpensive and effective protocol for incorporation of natural, synthetic and recombinant collagens into Fmoc-based self-assembling peptide hydrogels. The hydrogels are modified through a diffusion protocol in which collagen molecules of different molecular sizes are successfully incorporated and retained over time. Characterization studies show that these collagens interact with the hydrogel fibers without affecting the overall mechanical properties of the composite hydrogels. Furthermore, the collagen molecules incorporated into the hydrogels are still biologically active and provide sites for adhesion and spreading of human fibrosarcoma cells through interaction with the α2β1 integrin. Our protocol can be used to incorporate different types of collagen molecules into peptide-based hydrogels without any prior chemical modification. These modified hydrogels could be used in studies where collagen-based substrates are required to differentiate and control the cell behavior. Our protocol can be easily adapted to the incorporation of other bioactive proteins and peptides into peptide-based hydrogels to modulate their characteristics and their interaction with different cell types.