Non-reversible heat-induced gelation of a biocompatible Fmoc-hexapeptide in water

Nanoscale. 2020 Apr 21;12(15):8262-8267. doi: 10.1039/d0nr00289e. Epub 2020 Apr 1.

Abstract

Hydrogel materials which respond to changes in temperature are widely applicable for injectable drug delivery or tissue engineering applications. Here, we report the unsual heat-induced gelation behaviour of a low molecular weight gelator based on an Fmoc-hexapeptide, Fmoc-GFFRGD. We show that Fmoc-GFFRGD forms kinetically stable fibres when mixed with divalent cations (e.g. Ca2+). Gelation of the mixture occurs upon heating of the mixture which enables electrostatic screening by the divalent cations and hydrophobic collapse of the fibres to give a self-supporting hydrogel network that shows good biocompatibility with L929 fibroblast cells. This work highlights a unique mechanism to initiate heat-induced gelation which should find opportunities as a gelation trigger for injectable hydrogels or fundamental self-assembly applications.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biocompatible Materials / chemistry*
  • Cations / chemistry
  • Cell Line
  • Drug Delivery Systems
  • Fluorenes / chemistry*
  • Hot Temperature*
  • Hydrogels / chemistry*
  • Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  • Kinetics
  • Mice
  • Molecular Structure
  • Molecular Weight
  • Nanofibers / chemistry
  • Oligopeptides / chemistry*
  • Rheology

Substances

  • Biocompatible Materials
  • Cations
  • Fluorenes
  • Hydrogels
  • Oligopeptides