Harnessing multifunctional collagen mimetic peptides to create bioinspired stimuli responsive hydrogels for controlled cell culture
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: tissue mimics to therapeutic delivery systems, where well-defined synthetic building blocks offer precise and reproducible property control. This work examines a synthetic assembling peptide, specifically a multifunctional collagen mimetic peptide (mfCMP) either alone or with reactive macromers, for the creation of responsive hydrogels that capture aspects of soft collagen-rich tissues. We first explored how buffer choice impacts mfCMP hierarchical assembly, in particular, peptide melting temperature, fibril morphology, and ability to form physical hydrogels. Assembly in physiologically relevant buffer resulted in collagen-like fibrillar structures and physically assembled hydrogels with shear-thinning (as indicated through strain-yielding) and self-healing properties. Further, we aimed to create fully synthetic, composite peptide-polymer hydrogels with dynamic responses to various stimuli, inspired by the extracellular matrix (ECM). Specifically, we established mfCMP-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel compositions that demonstrate increasing non-linear viscoelasticity in response to applied strain as the amount of assembled mfCMP content increases. Furthermore, the thermal responsiveness of mfCMP physical crosslinks was harnessed to manipulate the composite hydrogel mechanical properties in response to changes in temperature. Finally, cells relevant in wound healing, human lung fibroblasts, were encapsulated within these peptide-polymer hydrogels to explore the impact of increased mfCMP, and the resulting changes in viscoelasticity, on cell response. This work establishes mfCMP building blocks as versatile tools for creating hybrid and adaptable systems with applications ranging from injectable shear-thinning materials to responsive interfaces and synthetic ECMs for tissue engineering.
Source: Journal of Materials Chemistry B
DOI: 10.1039/d4tb00562g
Institution: University of Delaware
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Medicine
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Awards: G1177608224, G2902092823, Discovery of Chemical Probes and Therapeutic Leads, Phase II, G3350574766, G366302655, Unraveling fibrosis with dynamic microenvironments and molecular tools, G4444685404, G545157245, G5581067857, G5641144139, G6217188618, G645883879, University of Delaware MRSEC - Center for Hybrid, Active, and Responsive Materials (CHARM), G8414554082, Molecular Design of Advanced Biomaterials, G9000004818
OpenAlex ID: W4401504138