Functionalized α-Helical Peptide Hydrogels for Neural Tissue Engineering

Abstract

Trauma to the central and peripheral nervous systems often lead to serious morbidity. Current surgical methods for repairing or replacing such damage have limitations. Tissue engineering offers a potential alternative. Here we show that functionalized α-helical-peptide hydrogels can be used to induce attachment, migration, proliferation and differentiation of murine embryonic neural stem cells (NSCs). Specifically, compared with undecorated gels, those functionalized with Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS) peptides increase the proliferative activity of NSCs; promote their directional migration; induce differentiation, with increased expression of microtubule-associated protein-2, and a low expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein; and lead to the formation of larger neurospheres. Electrophysiological measurements from NSCs grown in RGDS-decorated gels indicate developmental progress toward mature neuron-like behavior. Our data indicate that these functional peptide hydrogels may go some way toward overcoming the limitations of current approaches to nerve-tissue repair.

Amino-Acid-Based Metallo-Hydrogel That Acts Like an Esterase

“…This is not only due to the interesting nano-structures that are formed from the assembly of small molecules but also due to the fact that these supramolecular entities form functional hydrogels under suitable conditions. Gels are endowed with a variety of activities 9 including use as vehicles for drug delivery [10][11][12][13][14] , removal of pollutants and toxic metal ions from waste water [15][16][17][18] , tissue engineering [19][20][21] , making functional nano-hybrid systems [22][23][24] and biocatalysts [25][26][27] . There are many examples of functional hydrogel based on amino acids, peptides, carbohydrates and other biomolecules [28][29][30][31] .…”

Advanced hydrogels for treatment of diabetes

“…Recently, a RGD-functionalized α-helix-based hydrogel that combined two peptide sequences, hSAFp1 and hSAFp2, supported the proliferation and migration of murine embryonic neural stem cells. Moreover, signs of neuronal commitment were evidenced by the expression of the microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP 2), the formation of neuritelike processes and electrophysiological signs (Mehrban et al, 2015).…”

Biomaterials Made from Coiled-Coil Peptides

“…Mehrban et al demonstrated that these fibrillar coiled-coils could be decorated with the RGDS cell-adhesive sequence. The resultant hydrogels could promote the growth, directional migration, and differentiation of murine embryonic neural stem cells in culture (Banwell et al 2009;Mehrban et al 2015).…”