Lysine containing amphiphilic peptide-based non-cytotoxic soft materials with potential antifungal and antibacterial activities for 3D cell culture

Abstract

Two amphiphilic peptides each with an N-terminal lysine residue have been designed and synthesized. These self-assembling peptide-based molecules form transparent hydrogels in Tris-HCl buffer at physiological pH. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) images of the peptide hydrogels reveal a nanofibrillar network. Rheological studies reveal high values of storage moduli for the two enantiomeric peptide hydrogels, demonstrating high mechanical strength. Interestingly, these peptide hydrogels exhibit potential antibacterial properties against multidrug-resistant bacterial strains and antifungal activities with great efficacy. The gelators are cytocompatible with NIH 3T3 and HEK 293 cells. The peptide gelator containing D-amino acid residues displayed excellent proteolytic stability against chymotrypsin, pepsin, and proteinase K. The peptide-based hydrogels were successfully used as a suitable platform for 3-dimensional cell culture, pointing to future applications in regenerative medicine, which, combined with their antimicrobial properties, holds promise for the discovery of new peptide based biomaterials in biomedicine.