Abstract
Collagen, a major component of the extracellular matrix, contains Gly-Pro-Hyp repeats that form a hydrogel. In this study, artificial collagen-mimetic materials were designed. Synthetic dendritic macromolecules were fully modified with (Pro-Hyp-Gly) n and named collagen-mimetic dendrimers. A collagen-like triple helical structure was observed by circular dichroism spectrometry, with an efficiency that depended on the peptide length. A (Pro-Hyp-Gly) 10-modified dendrimer exhibited the most efficient triple helix formation. Thermal stability was enhanced by clustering at the surface of the dendrimer. The (Pro-Hyp-Gly) 10-modified dendrimer was assembled by heating and the assembly was affected by temperature, time and concentration. Hydrogels based on the (Pro-Hyp-Gly) 10-modified dendrimer, but not on the peptide itself, were successfully prepared by heating. The sol-gel transition behavior was similar to natural collagen but not gelatin, which is thermally denatured collagen. Dynamic rheological analysis showed that the sol-gel transition temperature and the strength depended on the concentration. Thus, the collagen-mimetic dendrimer incorporating (Pro-Hyp-Gly) 10 is an injectable and controllable artificial collagen gel.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 8991-8997 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Soft Matter |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 19 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2011 Oct 7 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Chemistry(all)
- Condensed Matter Physics