Multidomain Peptide Hydrogel Accelerates Healing of Full-Thickness Wounds in Diabetic Mice

Abstract

In vivo, multidomain peptide (MDP) hydrogels undergo rapid cell infiltration and elicit a mild inflammatory response which promotes angiogenesis. Over time, the nanofibers are degraded and a natural collagen-based extracellular matrix is produced remodeling the artificial material into natural tissue. These properties make MDPs particularly well suited for applications in regeneration. In this work, we test the regenerative potential of MDP hydrogels in a diabetic wound healing model. When applied to full-thickness dermal wounds in genetically diabetic mice, the MDP hydrogel resulted in significantly accelerated wound healing compared to a clinically used hydrogel, as well as a control buffer. Treatment with the MDP hydrogel resulted in wound closure in 14 days, formation of thick granulation tissue including dense vascularization, innervation, and hair follicle regeneration. This suggests the MDP hydrogel could be an attractive choice for treatment of wounds in diabetic patients.

Self‐Assembly of an Amino Acid Derivative into an Antimicrobial Hydrogel Biomaterial

“…[9] Small-peptideh ydrogels could find useful applicationsi nt he area of drug delivery and bioactive biomaterials, for instance in woundh ealing for burns or diabetic patients. [10] The shorteri s the peptide (even as ingle amino acid), the lower will be the cost of production,a nd the ease of its scale-up. Additionally, concerns exist over the potentialt oxicityo fp olyaromatic cycles, which should be carefullye valuated since cell viability was negatively affected by Fmoc derivatives.…”

Advances and Impact of Antioxidant Hydrogel in Chronic Wound Healing

“…Hydrogel is considered as an ideal dressing because of its excellent physical and chemical properties in the treatment of chronic wounds . Modified hydrogels are usually endowed with good mechanical properties and degradability, which can carry drug molecules to support cell growth and proliferation, regulate inflammatory processes, promote angiogenesis, and thus promote skin repair . Furthermore, hydrogels can also protect biologically active molecules from being altered and becoming intelligent drug delivery systems .…”

Crafting Polymeric and Peptidic Hydrogels for Improved Wound Healing

“…Hartgerink and co‐workers have developed multidomain peptide (MDP) hydrogels with the sequence K 2 (SL) 6 K 2 to treat full‐thickness wounds in diabetic mice. MDPs are a type of SCP which self‐assemble into nanofibers that entangle in multivalent salt solutions such as PBS to form hydrogels . Their modular chemical design, biocompatibility, and thixotropic nature make MDPs a viable injectable hydrogel system for direct delivery to the wound site ( Figure ) .…”

“…Their modular chemical design, biocompatibility, and thixotropic nature make MDPs a viable injectable hydrogel system for direct delivery to the wound site ( Figure ) . The biological and chemical behavior of the hydrogel can be tuned by substituting different amino acids on the peptide chain of the MDP . NIH‐3T3 fibroblasts were seeded in the MDP hydrogel for 3, 7, 10, and 14 days.…”

“…After day 7, all cells showed dispersed fibroblasts and grew to form extensive networks in the hydrogel matrix. The in vivo wound healing efficacy of the K 2 (SL) 6 K 2 MDP hydrogel was compared to IntraSite, a current diabetic ulcer hydrogel treatment, along with a rinsing buffer comprised of Hanks buffered salt solution (HBSS) and sucrose . Mice treated with the simple buffer solution did not achieve the same level of healing as MDP‐treated mice.…”