Self‐Assembled Fluorescent and Antibacterial GHK‐Cu Nanoparticles for Wound Healing Applications

Abstract

GHK‐Cu is demonstrated with the abilities to improve wound healing, accelerate anti‐inflammatory activity, and repair DNA damage. However, the instability of the GHK‐Cu in biological fluids is always a big challenge for its long‐term and efficient function at the target site. Therefore, the self‐assembled GHK‐Cu nanoparticles (GHK‐Cu NPs) are investigated in this work to solve the instability issue. The crystalline nanostructure within the GHK‐Cu nanoparticles offers them visible and near‐infrared fluorescent properties. With the excellent self‐assembly performance, the antibacterial properties of GHK‐Cu NPs are demonstrated using E. coli and S. aureus. The L929 dermal fibroblast cells are utilized to prove the good biocompatibility and enhanced wound healing applications of GHK‐Cu NPs. This study could pave the way for the design and elaboration of a new class of fluorescent peptides with various biological functions in biomedical applications.

Ternary Cu(II) Complex with GHK Peptide and Cis-Urocanic Acid as a Potential Physiologically Functional Copper Chelate

“…The formation of the ternary complex may also be of relevance to recent usage of UCA or Cu/GHK in cosmetics, anti-allergic or wound-healing-promoting materials, involving GHK immobilized on polymers or nanoparticles, or within liposomes [ 2 , 6 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ].…”

Coassemble dopamine and GHK tripeptide into fluorescent nanoparticles for pH sensing

“…Subsequent studies found that GHK‐Cu complex can promote wound healing. [ 18–20 ] Sun et al [ 21 ] reported that GHK‐Cu can form blue fluorescent nanoparticles, suggesting that short peptides composed of non‐aromatic amino acids can also form fluorescent nanomaterials through self‐assembly, which overturns the traditional idea that only peptides containing aromatic amino acids can construct fluorescent nanostructure chromophores.…”

<p>Montmorillonite-norfloxacin nanocomposite intended for healing of infected wounds</p>

“…Wound healing includes homeostasis stage (clotting and immune activation), inflammation (recruitment of neutrophilis and macrophages, production of cytokine and growth factor), proliferation phase, tissue neoformation (reepithelialization, angiogenensis and granulation) and subsequent remodeling of neoformed-tissue 1. Considering the crucial barrier role of the skin, nonhealing wounds (such as venous leg ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, arterial insufficiency and pressure ulcers) and burns impose substantial morbidity and mortality, deeply affecting the quality of life with high economic burden2…”