title: Formation of macroporous self-assembled hydrogels through cryogelation of Fmoc-Phe-Phe.
abstract: In this study, it was found that macroporous hydrogels were formed when self-assembly of fluorenyl-9-methoxycarbonyl (Fmoc)-diphenylalanine (Phe-Phe) peptides was induced using glucono-δ-lactone (GdL) in apparently frozen samples. Formed cryogels exhibited a heterogeneous structure with pore walls of densely packed fibres of assembled dipeptides and pores in the range 10-100 μm. Hydrogels formed from the same composition above the freezing point exhibited a homogenous structure without any apparent porosity. The formed gels were characterised using microscopy techniques, CD-spectroscopy and stress sweeps. The cryogels exhibited less mechanical strength than the hydrogels that might be due to the heterogeneous structure of the former. It appeared that the self-assembled peptide both in the cryo- and hydrogel maintained the β-sheet structure commonly attributed to these.
authors: Department of Biotechnology, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, 22 100 Lund, Sweden.
authors: Dmitriy
authors: D
authors: Berillo
authors: Bo
authors: B
authors: Mattiasson
authors: Igor Yu
authors: IY
authors: Galaev
authors: Harald
authors: H
authors: Kirsebom
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D005449:Fluorenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D005615:Freezing; D020100:Hydrogels; D016062:Porosity
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D004151:Dipeptides; D005449:Fluorenes; D020100:Hydrogels; C016456:N(alpha)-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonylamino acids; C026650:phenylalanylphenylalanine