Issue 14, 2025

Luminescent ultrashort peptide hydrogelator with enhanced photophysical implications and biocompatibility

Abstract

Luminescent peptide hydrogelators have garnered significant attention in biomedical sciences and materials chemistry due to their biological relevance and tunable photophysical features. In this work, we have designed and synthesized a novel ultrashort peptide hydrogelator comprising a tripeptide sequence (FFE) integrated with 1,8-naphthalimide (NI) as an aggregation-induced emissive unit having rich and tuneable photophysical properties. The hydrogelator could self-assemble and form a self-supporting hydrogel having a highly ordered intertwined network structure at pH 5.5 with a minimum gelation concentration of 1 wt/v%. Interestingly, due to the presence of the emissive unit, the assembly could demonstrate strong blue luminescence, which has been thoroughly investigated experimentally. Moreover, spectroscopic investigations and molecular dynamics simulation studies suggest the formation of a β-sheet structure through extended intermolecular H-bonding interactions within the peptide backbones and the strong π–π-stacking interaction among aromatic units, which drive the self-assembly and hydrogelation. The emissive unit of the peptide could arrange in a J-type aggregation pattern and adopt right-handed helical induced chirality in the assembled state. Additionally, the system could exhibit a high safety profile and excellent biocompatibility, when tested in a series of cell lines in vitro. Finally, the intracellular uptake of the system has been exploited, showcasing its luminescence characteristics for potential applications in cellular imaging. The luminescent system holds significant promise for advancing cellular imaging techniques, offering new avenues for research in the future. Briefly, this work highlights the importance of luminescent ultrashort peptide hydrogelators for developing next-generation low-cost functional biomaterials.

Graphical abstract: Luminescent ultrashort peptide hydrogelator with enhanced photophysical implications and biocompatibility

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
03 Dec 2024
Accepted
02 Mar 2025
First published
03 Mar 2025

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2025,13, 4406-4418

Luminescent ultrashort peptide hydrogelator with enhanced photophysical implications and biocompatibility

A. Kumari, G. Bangal, B. K. Das, M. K. Baroi, M. Kumari, P. Das, K. P. Reddy, R. Islam, D. K. Dhaked, B. Pramanik, S. Roy and S. Ahmed, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2025, 13, 4406 DOI: 10.1039/D4TB02687J

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