Peptide-/Drug-Directed Self-Assembly of Hybrid Polyurethane Hydrogels for Wound Healing

Abstract

Drug-loading hydrogels are promising candidates in the bioengineering research field; nevertheless, hydrophobic drug loading into a hydrophilic carrier system remains unsolved and is full of challenges. In this work, following the potential dual interactions between peptides and aromatic drugs, we developed a potent hybrid hydrogel formation method, namely, "peptide-/drug-directed selfassembly". The hybrid hydrogels were synthesized using polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based Fmoc-FF peptide hybrid polyurethane, in which curcumin could be encapsulated through self-assembly with Fmoc-FF peptide via π−π stacking. On the basis of this, curcumin loading capacity could be improved to as high as 3.3 wt % with sustained release. In addition, the curcumin loading enhanced the hydrogel mechanical properties from 4 kPa to over 10 kPa, similar to that of natural soft tissues. Furthermore, the hydrogels were injectable with self-healing properties since the Fmoc-FF peptide/ curcumin coassembly was noncovalent and reversible. Spectroscopy results confirmed the existence of the coassembly of Fmoc-FF peptide/curcumin. Further in vivo experiments effectively demonstrated that the hydrogels could improve the cutaneous wound healing in a full-thickness skin defected model. This peptide-/drug-directed self-assembly of hybrid polyurethane hydrogel could be used as a promising platform for tissue-engineering scaffold and biomedical application.

Elucidating the Drug Release from Metal–Organic Framework Nanocomposites via In Situ Synchrotron Microspectroscopy and Theoretical Modeling

“…[11][12] In this study, we demonstrate that 5-FU@HKUST-1 can be easily combined with a biocompatible polymer like polyurethane (PU) to fabricate the 5-FU@HKUST-1/PU composites that could suppress the burst effect. [13][14][15] The presence of a polymeric matrix can significantly enhance the aqueous stability of certain MOFs that have a huge potential for hosting a plethora of drug molecules, but suffer from poor water stability. 16 Specifically, HKUST-1 has been selected not only due to its poor water stability, but also due to the presence of coordinatively unsaturated metal sites (CUS) that could act as strong binding sites for attaching different polar guest molecules.…”

Supramolecular Hydrogels: Design Strategies and Contemporary Biomedical Applications

“…The self-assembly of peptides is also partially controlled by interactions between hydrophobic amino acid residues, such as associative phenylalanine-phenylalanine (FÀ F) interactions, which are commonly observed in supramolecular peptide hydrogels. [69][70][71] In addition, enzymes can also be used as a stimulus to trigger the self-(dis)assembly in supramolecular hydrogels, and the inherent biocompatibility of peptide-based gels makes them ideal targets for enzymatic cleavage. [72] Moreover, the mild reaction conditions required for enzymatic reactions, as well as the homogeneity of the resulting hydrogels are additional advantages of peptide hydrogels.…”

Conductive Materials for Healing Wounds: Their Incorporation in Electroactive Wound Dressings, Characterization, and Perspectives

“…It is extensively used in wound dressings because of its biocompatibility, excellent mechanical strength, flexibility, and processability. [ 55,56 ] The shape memory of PU enables PU‐based wound dressings to maintain their original shapes under an external force. [ 40,57 ] However, one of the major shortcomings of the PU dressings is that they do not exhibit the electroactivity that promotes the cellular responses (including cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation) that are involved in healing wounds.…”