Engineered PEG Hydrogels with Enhanced Proteolytic Degradation for Presentation of Angiogenic Signals

摘要

A sulfated peptide known to bind VEGF was utilized to incorporate this angiogenic molecule into molecularly engineered PEG hydrogels. In addition, protease sensitive peptides with increased k_(cat), values compared to the MMP cleavage sequence in type I collagen were used to render the PEG hydrogels more degradable. Only those hydrogels that were faster degrading and that contained an angiogenic signal were able to support cell invasion in a chick aortic ring outgrowth assay. These faster degrading angiogenic hydrogels have potential as matrices to support angiogenesis and tissue regeneration in vivo.