Issue 38, 2013

Peptide-based microcapsules obtained by self-assembly and microfluidics as controlled environments for cell culture

Abstract

Peptides are excellent building blocks to form precise nanostructures by self-assembly. They can self-assemble into fibril nanostructures, thus recreating some of the architectural features of the natural extracellular matrix. Here, we used a microfluidic approach to drive the self-assembly of peptides of opposite charge into capsular structures for cell encapsulation. The obtained capsules presented a core shell structure made of a network of nanofibers and their properties can be tuned by varying the concentration of each peptide. Capsules were found to be stable in aqueous solutions and their permeability dependent on the capsule composition. Human dermal fibroblasts were encapsulated and remained viable within the capsules and their morphology was shown to be influenced by the matrix density. Additionally, these capsules also supported the co-culture of fibroblasts and keratinocytes. We expect that the developed peptide-based microcapsules can serve as miniaturized environments for cell culture and as biomimetic platforms for in vitro drug screening.

Graphical abstract: Peptide-based microcapsules obtained by self-assembly and microfluidics as controlled environments for cell culture

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
29 Apr 2013
Accepted
12 Aug 2013
First published
12 Aug 2013

Soft Matter, 2013,9, 9237-9248

Peptide-based microcapsules obtained by self-assembly and microfluidics as controlled environments for cell culture

D. S. Ferreira, R. L. Reis and H. S. Azevedo, Soft Matter, 2013, 9, 9237 DOI: 10.1039/C3SM51189H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements