In this study, we developed a novel artificial nerve graft termed self-assembling peptide nanofiber scaffold （SAPNS）-containing poly（lactic-co-glycolic acid） （PLGA） conduit （SPC） and used it to bridge a 10-mm-...In this study, we developed a novel artificial nerve graft termed self-assembling peptide nanofiber scaffold （SAPNS）-containing poly（lactic-co-glycolic acid） （PLGA） conduit （SPC） and used it to bridge a 10-mm-long sciatic nerve defect in the rat. Retrograde tracing, behavioral testing and histomorphometric analyses showed that compared with the empty PLGA conduit implantation group, the SPC implantation group had a larger number of growing and extending axons, a markedly increased diameter of regenerated axons and a greater thickness of the myelin sheath in the conduit. Furthermore, there was an increase in the size of the neuromuscular junction and myofiber diameter in the target muscle. These findings suggest that the novel artificial SPC nerve graft can promote axonal regeneration and remyelination in the transected peripheral nerve and can be used for repairing peripheral nerve injury.展开更多
Lack of biocompatibility and bioactivity is a big problem for the synthetic materials that have been generated for neural tissue engineering. To get around the problem and generate better scaffold for neural tissue re...Lack of biocompatibility and bioactivity is a big problem for the synthetic materials that have been generated for neural tissue engineering. To get around the problem and generate better scaffold for neural tissue repair, we intended to generate nano-fibers by self-assembly of polypeptide IKVAV. Bioactive IKVAV Peptide-Amphiphile （IKVAV-PA） was first synthesized and purified, the property of which was analyzed and determined by high-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） and mass spectrometry （MS）. Then, by addition of hydrogen chloride （HC1）, self-assembly of IKVAV-PA was induced in vitro and nano-fibers formed as shown by transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The effect of IKVAV nanofibers on adherence of PCI2 cells was assayed in cell culture and the results showed that the rates of adherence of PC12 increased significantly when the density of IKVAV was within a certain range （0.58 μg/cm^2 to 15.6 μg/cm^2）. However, its effect on the rates of adherence did not significantly alter with time, whether after 1 hour or 3 hours of culture. In general, we showed that IKVAV-PA can successfully self-assemble to form nanofiber, and promote rapid and stable adherence of PC12 cells, and the effect of the self-assembled IKVAV to promote PCI2 cells adherence is dosage-dependent within a certain range of densities.展开更多
Nerve guidance conduit （NGC） is a potential alternative to autologous nerve for peripheral nerve regeneration. A promising therapeutic strategy is to modify the nerve guidance conduit intraluminal microenvironment u...Nerve guidance conduit （NGC） is a potential alternative to autologous nerve for peripheral nerve regeneration. A promising therapeutic strategy is to modify the nerve guidance conduit intraluminal microenvironment using physical and/or chemical guidance cues. In this study, a neurotrophic peptide-functionalized self-assembling peptide nanofiber hydrogel that could promote PC12 cell adhesion, proliferation, and neuronal differentiation in vitro was prefilled in the lumen of a hollow chitosan tube （hCST） to accelerate axonal regeneration in a rat sciatic nerve defect model. The functionalized self-assembling peptide was developed by introducing a neurotrophic peptide （RGI, RGIDKRHWNSQ） derived from brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） to the C-terminus of the self-assembling peptide RADA16-I （Ac-（RADA）4-CONH2）. Morphological, histological, electrophysiological, and functional analyses demonstrated that the RGI-functionalized, self-assembling, peptide nanofiber hydrogel RAD/RGI could produce a neurotrophic microenvironment that markedly improved axonal regeneration with enhanced re-myelination and motor functional recovery.展开更多
Central nervous system （CNS） presents a complex regeneration problem due to the inability of central neurons to regenerate correct axonal and dendritic connections. However, recent advances in developmental neurobio...Central nervous system （CNS） presents a complex regeneration problem due to the inability of central neurons to regenerate correct axonal and dendritic connections. However, recent advances in developmental neurobiology, cell signaling, cell-matrix interaction, and biomaterials technologies have forced a reconsideration of CNS regeneration potentials from the viewpoint of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The applications of a novel tissue regeneration-inducing biomaterial and stem cells are thought to be critical for the mission. The use of peptide nanoflber hydrogels in cell therapy and tissue engineering offers promising perspectives for CNS regeneration. Self-assembling peptide undergo a rapid transformation from liquid to gel upon addition of counterions or pH adjustment, directly integrating with the host tissue. The peptide nanofiber hydrogels have mechanical properties that closely match the native central nervous extracellular matrix, which could enhance axonal growth. Such materials can provide an optimal three dimensional microenvironment for encapsulated cells. These materials can also be tailored with bioactive motifs to modulate the wound environment and enhance regeneration. This review intends to detail the recent status of selfassembling peptide nanoflber hydrogels for CNS regeneration.展开更多
Hydrogels resulting from the self-assembly of small peptides are smart nanobiomaterials as their nanostructuring can be readily tuned by environmental stimuli such as pH,ionic strength and temperature,thereby favoring...Hydrogels resulting from the self-assembly of small peptides are smart nanobiomaterials as their nanostructuring can be readily tuned by environmental stimuli such as pH,ionic strength and temperature,thereby favoring their practical applications.This work reports experimental observations of formation of peptide hydrogels in response to the redox environment.Ac-I 3 K-NH 2 is a short peptide amphiphile that readily self-assembles into long nanofibers and its gel formation occurs at concentrations of about 10 mmol/L.Introduction of a Cys residue into the hydrophilic region leads to a new molecule,Ac-I 3 CGK-NH 2,that enables the formation of disulfide bonds between self-assembled nanofibers,thus favoring cross-linking and promoting hydrogel formation.Under oxidative environment,Ac-I 3 CGK-NH 2 formed hydrogels at much lower concentrations(even at 0.5 mmol/L).Furthermore,the strength of the hydrogels could be easily tuned by switching between oxidative and reductive conditions and time.However,AFM,TEM,and CD measurements revealed little morphological and structural changes at molecular and nano dimensions,showing no apparent influence arising from the disulfide bond formation.展开更多
目的制备FLIVIGSII多肽(FI肽),探究其物理化学性质及其体外凝血和体内止血效应。方法将FI肽与水混合,制备样品,直接观察FI肽水凝胶的状态,通过扫描电子显微镜(scanning electron microscope,SEM)、透射电子显微镜(transmission electron...目的制备FLIVIGSII多肽(FI肽),探究其物理化学性质及其体外凝血和体内止血效应。方法将FI肽与水混合,制备样品,直接观察FI肽水凝胶的状态,通过扫描电子显微镜(scanning electron microscope,SEM)、透射电子显微镜(transmission electron microscope,TEM)观察其微观纤维结构,并通过动态光散射(dynamic light scattering,DLS)分析其纤维尺寸。将FI肽与3.8%柠檬酸钠抗凝处理后的健康人血液混合,直接观察FI肽的凝血效应,并通过SEM观察其血凝块的微观结构。溶血实验和CCK-8细胞毒性实验用于验证其生物相容性。最后,构建大鼠肝脏实质穿孔出血模型,将15只体质量为150 g的6~8周龄雌性SD大鼠按随机数字表法分为3组:对照组、FI肽组和纤维蛋白胶组,通过各组治疗后观察分析FI肽对肝脏实质创伤性出血的止血效应及其预后,并探讨其止血机理。结果成功制备FI肽。FI肽与血液接触后快速成胶,使血液凝固形成血凝块。SEM结果显示FI肽与水混合后自组装形成纤维网状水凝胶。TEM结果验证FI肽在水中成胶后形成直径为(13.70±2.31)nm的纳米纤维,DLS结果验证其在水中形成多分散多尺寸(148.2~208.0 nm或575.0~807.0 nm)的纳米纤维。FI肽与血液混合后形成的纤维网状水凝胶包裹住红细胞,从而形成物理性止血屏障以在数秒内实现凝血。同时,FI肽水凝胶对正常肝细胞(L-O2)无细胞毒性,且不会造成红细胞溶血。在SD大鼠体内肝脏止血实验中,FI肽与血液接触时,迅速形成纳米纤维水凝胶,从而形成物理性止血屏障以在数秒内实现体内止血(止血时间<5 s)。结论FI肽具有快速、高效的止血效应,在肝脏实质创伤性出血的止血治疗中具有较好的临床应用前景。展开更多
Peptide hydrogels have been widely used for diverse biomedical applications. However, our current understanding of the physical principles underlying the self-assembly process is still limited. In this review, we summ...Peptide hydrogels have been widely used for diverse biomedical applications. However, our current understanding of the physical principles underlying the self-assembly process is still limited. In this review, we summarize our current understanding on the physical chemistry principles from the basic interactions that drive the self-assembly process to the energy landscapes that dictate the thermodynamics and kinetics of the process. We discuss the effect of different factors that affect the kinetics of the self-assembly of peptide fibrils and how this is related to the macroscopic gelation process. We provide our understanding on the molecular origin of the complex and rugged energy landscape for the self-assembly of peptide hydrogels. The hierarchical self-assembled structures and the diverse self-assembling mechanism make it difficult and challenging to rationally design the physical and chemical properties of peptide hydrogels at the molecular revel. We also give our personal perspective to the potential future directions in this field.展开更多
基金supported by a grant from the National Key Basic Research Program of China,No.2014CB542202 and 2014CB542205the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.30973095&81371354+2 种基金a grant from Science and Technology Project of Guangzhou,in China,No.12C32121609the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province of China,No.S2013010014697 to Guo JSHong Kong SCI Fund to Wu WT
文摘In this study, we developed a novel artificial nerve graft termed self-assembling peptide nanofiber scaffold （SAPNS）-containing poly（lactic-co-glycolic acid） （PLGA） conduit （SPC） and used it to bridge a 10-mm-long sciatic nerve defect in the rat. Retrograde tracing, behavioral testing and histomorphometric analyses showed that compared with the empty PLGA conduit implantation group, the SPC implantation group had a larger number of growing and extending axons, a markedly increased diameter of regenerated axons and a greater thickness of the myelin sheath in the conduit. Furthermore, there was an increase in the size of the neuromuscular junction and myofiber diameter in the target muscle. These findings suggest that the novel artificial SPC nerve graft can promote axonal regeneration and remyelination in the transected peripheral nerve and can be used for repairing peripheral nerve injury.
基金This project was supported by a grant from National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (No. 30500511).
文摘Lack of biocompatibility and bioactivity is a big problem for the synthetic materials that have been generated for neural tissue engineering. To get around the problem and generate better scaffold for neural tissue repair, we intended to generate nano-fibers by self-assembly of polypeptide IKVAV. Bioactive IKVAV Peptide-Amphiphile （IKVAV-PA） was first synthesized and purified, the property of which was analyzed and determined by high-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） and mass spectrometry （MS）. Then, by addition of hydrogen chloride （HC1）, self-assembly of IKVAV-PA was induced in vitro and nano-fibers formed as shown by transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The effect of IKVAV nanofibers on adherence of PCI2 cells was assayed in cell culture and the results showed that the rates of adherence of PC12 increased significantly when the density of IKVAV was within a certain range （0.58 μg/cm^2 to 15.6 μg/cm^2）. However, its effect on the rates of adherence did not significantly alter with time, whether after 1 hour or 3 hours of culture. In general, we showed that IKVAV-PA can successfully self-assemble to form nanofiber, and promote rapid and stable adherence of PC12 cells, and the effect of the self-assembled IKVAV to promote PCI2 cells adherence is dosage-dependent within a certain range of densities.
文摘Nerve guidance conduit （NGC） is a potential alternative to autologous nerve for peripheral nerve regeneration. A promising therapeutic strategy is to modify the nerve guidance conduit intraluminal microenvironment using physical and/or chemical guidance cues. In this study, a neurotrophic peptide-functionalized self-assembling peptide nanofiber hydrogel that could promote PC12 cell adhesion, proliferation, and neuronal differentiation in vitro was prefilled in the lumen of a hollow chitosan tube （hCST） to accelerate axonal regeneration in a rat sciatic nerve defect model. The functionalized self-assembling peptide was developed by introducing a neurotrophic peptide （RGI, RGIDKRHWNSQ） derived from brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） to the C-terminus of the self-assembling peptide RADA16-I （Ac-（RADA）4-CONH2）. Morphological, histological, electrophysiological, and functional analyses demonstrated that the RGI-functionalized, self-assembling, peptide nanofiber hydrogel RAD/RGI could produce a neurotrophic microenvironment that markedly improved axonal regeneration with enhanced re-myelination and motor functional recovery.
基金Acknowledgements This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China （Grant Nos. 51303119 and 51203108）, Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province （BK20130309, BK201341421, BK2011355）, Natural Science Foundation of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions （13KJB430019）, National Science Foundation for Post-doctoral Scientists of China （2013M541724 and 2014T70545）, Tsinghua University Initiative Scientific Research Program （20121087982）, and 973 Program （2011CB606205）.
文摘Central nervous system （CNS） presents a complex regeneration problem due to the inability of central neurons to regenerate correct axonal and dendritic connections. However, recent advances in developmental neurobiology, cell signaling, cell-matrix interaction, and biomaterials technologies have forced a reconsideration of CNS regeneration potentials from the viewpoint of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The applications of a novel tissue regeneration-inducing biomaterial and stem cells are thought to be critical for the mission. The use of peptide nanoflber hydrogels in cell therapy and tissue engineering offers promising perspectives for CNS regeneration. Self-assembling peptide undergo a rapid transformation from liquid to gel upon addition of counterions or pH adjustment, directly integrating with the host tissue. The peptide nanofiber hydrogels have mechanical properties that closely match the native central nervous extracellular matrix, which could enhance axonal growth. Such materials can provide an optimal three dimensional microenvironment for encapsulated cells. These materials can also be tailored with bioactive motifs to modulate the wound environment and enhance regeneration. This review intends to detail the recent status of selfassembling peptide nanoflber hydrogels for CNS regeneration.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21033005,21003160)the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province of China (ZR2010BQ003 and JQ201105)the Innovation Research Program of China University of Petroleum (27R1104067A)
文摘Hydrogels resulting from the self-assembly of small peptides are smart nanobiomaterials as their nanostructuring can be readily tuned by environmental stimuli such as pH,ionic strength and temperature,thereby favoring their practical applications.This work reports experimental observations of formation of peptide hydrogels in response to the redox environment.Ac-I 3 K-NH 2 is a short peptide amphiphile that readily self-assembles into long nanofibers and its gel formation occurs at concentrations of about 10 mmol/L.Introduction of a Cys residue into the hydrophilic region leads to a new molecule,Ac-I 3 CGK-NH 2,that enables the formation of disulfide bonds between self-assembled nanofibers,thus favoring cross-linking and promoting hydrogel formation.Under oxidative environment,Ac-I 3 CGK-NH 2 formed hydrogels at much lower concentrations(even at 0.5 mmol/L).Furthermore,the strength of the hydrogels could be easily tuned by switching between oxidative and reductive conditions and time.However,AFM,TEM,and CD measurements revealed little morphological and structural changes at molecular and nano dimensions,showing no apparent influence arising from the disulfide bond formation.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.21522402 and 11304156)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(Nos.020414380070,020414380050 and 020414380058)
文摘Peptide hydrogels have been widely used for diverse biomedical applications. However, our current understanding of the physical principles underlying the self-assembly process is still limited. In this review, we summarize our current understanding on the physical chemistry principles from the basic interactions that drive the self-assembly process to the energy landscapes that dictate the thermodynamics and kinetics of the process. We discuss the effect of different factors that affect the kinetics of the self-assembly of peptide fibrils and how this is related to the macroscopic gelation process. We provide our understanding on the molecular origin of the complex and rugged energy landscape for the self-assembly of peptide hydrogels. The hierarchical self-assembled structures and the diverse self-assembling mechanism make it difficult and challenging to rationally design the physical and chemical properties of peptide hydrogels at the molecular revel. We also give our personal perspective to the potential future directions in this field.
