Rapidly Assembling Pentapeptides for Injectable Delivery (RAPID) Hydrogels as Cytocompatible Cell Carriers

摘要

We successfully synthesized a pentapeptide that self-assembles into a hydrogel under physiological conditions. The short length of the peptide does not require any protection groups or modifications which simplifies the synthesis process and greatly reduces the cost of materials. TEM studies revealed that our pentapeptide solutions form hydrogels with nanofibers of unique morphologies. We also demonstrate that RAPID hydrogels can mitigate the damaging effects of extensional flow during syringe injections. Finally, these supramolecular assemblies create injectable hydrogel systems suitable for tissue engineering applications.