Peptide-based hydrogels consist of nanofibrous networks interconnected by chemical or physical interactions. They have attracted considerable interest in biomedicine due to their attractive features including biocompatibility, biodegradability, mechanical stability, high water absorption capacity, injectability, and tissue-like elasticity. Further, peptide-based hydrogels can easily be developed to meet some specific requirements by modifying the binding of the amino acid side chains and incorporating desired amino acids to the main chain.
Preparation
The preparation methods of peptide-based hydrogels are based on stimuli-response, including chemical stimulation, and physical stimulation.
Chemical stimulation means that peptide-based hydrogels can be formed by changing the external environment of solution, like pH value, ionic strength and concentration of buffer solution. The properties of peptide-based hydrogels can be designed by chemical stimulation. For example, the adjustment of ionic strength is usually utilized for stiffness and strength tuning of peptide-based hydrogels.
Physical stimulation is also an important method for preparing peptide-based hydrogels, which keeps the products from byproducts and other agents. Temperature and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation are the main stimulation methods. Among them, UV irradiation can lead to the formation of rigid peptide-based hydrogels.
Applications
Peptide-based hydrogels have widely applications in biomedicine as therapeutic agents, or for drug delivery, biosensors, cell culture, biomineralization, and tissue engineering. Here is a brief introduction to a few examples.
Peptide-based hydrogels can be applied as therapeutic agents. Xu et al[1]. prepared the peptide-based hydrogels by the combination of two N-(fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl) amino acids, -NPC 15199 and Ne-Fmoc-L-lysine. The hydrogels belong to a novel class of anti-inflammatory agents. Further, peptide-based hydrogels have also been applied as wound healing agents as well as other therapeutic agents on several occasions.
Peptide-based hydrogels have the advantages of high water content, controllable pore size and morphology, desirable mechanical properties, biocompatibility and biodegradability, which offer enormous application potential in drug delivery. For example, Pochan and co-workers[2] developed self-assembling peptide-based hydrogels as effective drug delivery tools for the localized transportation and delivery of curcumin, and the effectiveness is good.
Peptide-based hydrogels have also been widely used for biosensors due to their excellent properties, such as smart responsivity to stimuli including pH and temperature, and easy preparation. In recent years, lots of self-assembled peptide-based hydrogels have been combined with other biomolecules such as enzymes, DNA, label molecules, and cells to fabricate detection devices.
Our Products
Alfa Chemistry is a leading global supplier of hydrogels. Our experienced scientists focus on the production and performance improvement of peptide-based hydrogels. Our products include but are not limited to the following. Please contact us to customize the peptide-based hydrogels you need, and we will provide you with quality products according to your detailed requirements.
- Peptide hydrogel
- RGD peptide hydrogel
- pH/ion bi-responsive amphiphilic peptide hydrogel
- Polypeptide hydrogel
- L-Dopa peptide hydrogel
References
- Xu, B.; et al. Small molecule hydrogels based on a class of antiinflammatory agents. Chemical Communications. 2004, 208-209.
- Pochan, D.J.; et al. Thermally reversible hydrogels via intramolecular folding and consequent self-assembly of a de novo designed peptide. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2003, 39(125): 11802-11803.
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