title: Multifunctional thermoresponsive designer peptide hydrogels.
abstract: We report the synthesis and characterization of multifunctional peptides comprised of a hydrogel forming β-sheet peptide segment and a matrix metalloproteinase 2 substrate containing a propargylglycinyl linker that is further derivatized with an RGD peptide sequence via "click" chemistry. In contrast to currently known systems, these multifunctional peptides formed gels that are stiffer than those formed by their respective precursors. All the peptides showed reversible thermoresponsive properties, which render them as suitable lead systems for a variety of possible biomedical applications.
  
  
  
  In general, it has been frequently observed that chemical biofunctionalization of peptide hydrogels adversely affects peptide assembly, hydrogel formation or mechanical properties, which severely compromises their application. A functionalization protocol that allows to generate peptide hydrogels that display significantly improved mechanical properties over their unfunctionalized counterparts is reported in this work. These peptides also showed thermoresponsive viscoelastic characteristics, including an example of a peptide hydrogel that displays lower critical solution temperature behaviour.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, 3A Symonds St, Thomas Building, Auckland 1010, New Zealand. Electronic address: l.deleon@auckland.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Luis M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: De Leon-Rodriguez
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Yacine
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hemar
authors.affiliation: Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Guang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, 3A Symonds St, Thomas Building, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Alok K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Mitra
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jillian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cornish
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, 3A Symonds St, Thomas Building, Auckland 1010, New Zealand; School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds St, Auckland 1010, New Zealand. Electronic address: m.brimble@auckland.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Margaret A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Brimble
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D053838:Scattering, Small Angle; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013696:Temperature; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D020100:Hydrogels; D010455:Peptides; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2
keywords: Adhesion; Enzymatic-cleavage; Hydrogel; Mechanical characterization; Peptide; Thermoresponsive