Fibrillar Hydrogel Derived from Nanocellulose and a Synthetic Polypeptide

Hydrogels derived from synthetic polypeptides hold promise as biomaterials for tissue engineering and cell culture; however, they lack a fibrillar structure characteristic for the native extracellular matrix. Here, we report a fibrillar hydrogel formed by aldehyde-modified cellulose nanocrystals and poly(γ-propargyl-l-glutamate) that was prepared by ring-opening polymerization of the N-carboxyanhydride monomer and functionalized with diethylene glycol groups and amino groups. In the hydrogel, the polymer retained the α-helical secondary structure of the polypeptide backbone. The mechanical properties of the hydrogel were varied by changing the aldehyde to amino group molar concentration ratio. Human dermal fibroblasts cultured on this hydrogel showed good adherence and metabolic activity. This work should stimulate further studies on the synthesis and applications of synthetic polypeptide-derived biomimetic fibrillar hydrogels.