Photo-Enhanced Nicotine Release From Photosensitive Flavopeptide Derived Supramolecular Gel

Herein, we report the design and synthesis of a peptide-conjugated flavin analogue as a novel gelator material for photo-enhanced drug release. Harnessing the photosensitivity of the flavin entity was envisaged as a photo-trigger for faster drug release. Structural modification incorporating a dipeptide motif was undertaken to form a stable gel, which is characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), rheology, thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), FT-IR, etc. Furthermore, the release of nicotine from the gel was evaluated in the presence of blue LED irradiation, which revealed a faster release of nicotine compared to the absence of a light trigger. This work reflects the potential of light-triggered drug delivery as a promising approach for controlled and enhanced drug release.