title: The Unexpected Advantages of Using D-Amino Acids for Peptide Self- Assembly into Nanostructured Hydrogels for Medicine.
abstract: Self-assembled peptide hydrogels have brought innovation to the medicinal field, not only as responsive biomaterials but also as nanostructured therapeutic agents or as smart drug delivery systems. D-amino acids are typically introduced to increase the peptide enzymatic stability. However, there are several reports of unexpected effects on peptide conformation, self-assembly behavior, cytotoxicity and even therapeutic activity. This mini-review discusses all the surprising twists of heterochiral self-assembled peptide hydrogels, and delineates emerging key findings to exploit all the benefits of D-amino acids in this novel medicinal area.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Melchionna
authors.forename: Katie E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Styan
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy. marchesan.silvia@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marchesan
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D000686:Amyloidosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004798:Enzymes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D011487:Protein Conformation
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D004798:Enzymes; D020100:Hydrogels; D010455:Peptides