Shear-Thinning Extrudable Hydrogels Based on Star Polypeptides with Antimicrobial Properties
| Autor: | Dimitrios Skoulas, Muireann Fallon, Katelyn J. Genoud, Fergal J. O’Brien, Deirdre Fitzgerald Hughes, Andreas Heise |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2024 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Gels, Vol 10, Iss 10, p 652 (2024) |
| Druh dokumentu: | article |
| ISSN: | 10100652 2310-2861 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/gels10100652 |
| Popis: | Hydrogels with low toxicity, antimicrobial potency and shear-thinning behavior are promising materials to combat the modern challenges of increased infections. Here, we report on 8-arm star block copolypeptides based on poly(L-lysine), poly(L-tyrosine) and poly(S-benzyl-L-cysteine) blocks. Three star block copolypeptides were synthesized with poly(S-benzyl-L-cysteine) always forming the outer block. The inner block comprised either two individual blocks of poly(L-lysine) and poly(L-tyrosine) or a statistical block copolypeptide from both amino acids. The star block copolypeptides were synthesized by the Ring Opening Polymerization (ROP) of the protected amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs), keeping the overall ratio of monomers constant. All star block copolypeptides formed hydrogels and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) confirmed a porous morphology. The investigation of their viscoelastic characteristics, water uptake and syringe extrudability revealed superior properties of the star polypeptide with a statistical inner block of L-lysine and L-tyrosine. Further testing of this sample confirmed no cytotoxicity and demonstrated antimicrobial activity of 1.5-log and 2.6-log reduction in colony-forming units, CFU/mL, against colony-forming reference laboratory strains of Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. The results underline the importance of controlling structural arrangements in polypeptides to optimize their physical and biological properties. |
| Databáze: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
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