Recent Advances in Peptide Engineering of PEG Hydrogels: Strategies, Functional Regulation, and Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is hydrophilic, biocompatible, and electrically neutral in an aqueous solution due to its unique internal structure. PEG is widely used to prepare hydrogels for applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering. In addition, PEG can be used as a functionalization agent of biomaterials to prolong the presence of drug systems in vivo in biomedical applications. The functionalization of PEG hydrogels using functional peptides gives PEG hydrogels the advantages of better biocompatibility, higher loading efficiency, more adjustable lifetime, and lower cost, which have exhibited promising applications in biomedical fields. In this review, recent advances in the functionalization of PEG hydrogels with peptides for biomedical applications are presented. For this aim, first, the basic properties of PEG hydrogels are described by introducing various preparation methods, and then, the functional regulation of PEG hydrogels is demonstrated with different motif‐designed peptides to achieve specific properties. Finally, biomedical applications of peptide‐engineered PEG hydrogels in controlled drug delivery, tissue engineering, medical diagnostics, bioimaging, and biosensing are described in detail. This work provides a systematic literature review on this promising topic and facilitates readers in the design of composite materials and functional tailoring of PEG hydrogels with biomolecules.

Waste Plastic Polypropylene Activated Jujube Charcoal for Preparing High-Performance Phase Change Energy Storage Materials

“…As shown in Figure 2 , the absorption peak at 3435 cm −1 was caused by the telescopic vibration of –OH; the absorption peak at 2890 cm −1 was caused by the telescopic vibration of –CH; the absorption peak at 1630 cm −1 attributed to C=O; and the absorption peaks at 2890 cm −1 , 1460 cm −1 , and 945 cm −1 together constitute the characteristic peaks of the –CH group [ 22 ]. The location of 945 cm −1 was also the PEG crystal peak, 1245 cm −1 was the absorption peak of the OH bending vibration, the absorption peak at 1110 cm −1 was the telescopic vibration of C–O–C, and the absorption peak at 840 cm −1 was caused by the C–C–O bond [ 23 ]. Porous carbon made under the condition of inert gas protection cannot avoid combining with oxygen in the air to form oxygen-containing groups such as C=O, –OH, and –C–O, which will affect the surface structure of the composite.…”

Perspectives on recent advancements in energy harvesting, sensing and bio-medical applications of piezoelectric gels

“…200–205 Numerous types of wound dressings have been used for wound healing, including gauze or cloth, hydrocolloid, foam, transparent film, and hydrogels comprised of natural polymers, peptides and proteins. 206–210 Although traditional wound dressings have been used for wound healing for decades, hydrogels composed of biomaterials have recently been used for non-invasive therapy applications due to their multifaceted advantages of specific biological activity, biocompatibility, antibacterial activity, good non-toxicity or inflammation, excellent biological adhesive behavior, resemblance to soft tissue structure, high-porosity and swelling properties, excellent biochemical and mechanical properties, and high efficacy of providing a quick accelerative, high absorption ability toward exudates and wet permeable environment for wound healing. 211–214 Furthermore, some hydrogel-based dressings can be used as therapeutics, tissue generation systems, and energy harvesters that can mimic the ECM and amplify endogenous bioelectric stimulation, implying their potential application prospects in biomedical and energy systems.…”

A tough, anticorrosive hydrogel consisting of bio-friendly resources for conductive and electromagnetic shielding materials

“…29,30 Additionally, some PVA macromolecular chains produce agglomerates, forming insoluble or even insoluble granular structures that hinder internal crosslinking configurations and affect the mechanical properties of hydrogels. 27,31,32 Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a non-toxic and harmless polymer with small steric hindrance and active group hydroxyl (-OH) 33,34 at both ends. The introduction of PEG can better link the macromolecular chains of PVA, minimize the cross-linking error, facilitate the cross-linking of molecular chains, and improve the ability to resist external force stretching or compression.…”