3 research outputs found
Enzymatic Formation of an Injectable Hydrogel from a Glycopeptide as a Biomimetic Scaffold for Vascularization
The construction
of functional vascular networks in regenerative tissues is a crucial
technology in tissue engineering to ensure the sufficient supply of
nutrients. Although natural hydrogels are highly prevalent in fabricating
three-dimensional scaffolds to induce neovascular growth, their widespread
applicability was limited by the potential risk of immunogenicity
or pathogen transmission. Therefore, developing hydrogels with good
biocompatibility and cell affinity is highly desirable for fabricating
alternative matrices for tissue regeneration applications. Herein,
we report the generation of a new kind of hydrogel from supramolecular
assembling of a synthetic glycopeptide to mimic the glycosylated microenvironment
of extracellular matrix. In the presence of a tyrosine phosphate group,
this molecule can undergo supramolecular self-assembling and gelation
triggered by alkaline phosphatase under physiological conditions. Following supramolecular self-assembling,
the glycopeptide gelator tended to form nanofilament structures displaying
a high density of glucose moieties on their surface for endothelial
cell adhesion and proliferation. On further incorporation with deferoxamine
(DFO), the self-assembled hydrogel can serve as a reservoir for sustainably
releasing DFO and inducing endothelial cell capillary morphogenesis
in vitro. After subcutaneous injection in mice, the glycopeptide hydrogel
encapsulating DFO can work as an effective matrix to trigger the generation
of new blood capillaries in vivo
Supramolecular Self-Assemblies with Nanoscale RGD Clusters Promote Cell Growth and Intracellular Drug Delivery
In
this work, we reported the generation of a novel supramolecular hydrogelator
from a peptide derivative which consisted of a structural motif (e.g.,
Fc-FF) for supramolecular self-assembly and a functional moiety (e.g.,
RGD) for integrin binding. Following self-assembly in water at neutral
pH, this molecule first tended to form metastable spherical aggregates,
which subsequently underwent a morphological transformation to form
high-aspect-ratio nanostructures over 2 h when aged at room temperature.
More importantly, because of the presence of nanoscale RGD clusters
on the surface of nanostructures, the self-assembled nanomaterials
(e.g., nanoparticles and nanofibers) can be potentially used as a
biomimetic matrix for cell culture and as a vector for cell-targeting
drug delivery via multivalent RGD–integrin interactions
Peptide Glycosylation Generates Supramolecular Assemblies from Glycopeptides as Biomimetic Scaffolds for Cell Adhesion and Proliferation
Glycopeptide-based hydrogelators
with well-defined molecular structures and varied contents of sugar
moieties were prepared via in vitro peptide glycosylation reactions.
With systematic glucose modification, these glycopeptide hydrogelators
exhibited diverse self-assembling behaviors in water and formed supramolecular
hydrogels with enhanced thermostability and biostability, in comparison
with their peptide analogue. Moreover, because of high water content
and similar structural morphology and composition to extracellular
matrixes (ECM) in tissues, these self-assembled hydrogels also exhibited
great potential to act as new biomimetic scaffolds for mammalian cell
growth. Therefore, peptide glycosylation proved to be an effective
means for peptide modification and generation of novel supramolecular
hydrogelators/hydrogels with improved biophysical properties (e.g.,
high biostability, increased thermostability, and cell adhesion) which
could promise potential applications in regenerative medicine