Minimalistic supramolecular proteoglycan mimics by co-assembly of aromatic peptide and carbohydrate amphiphiles.
Alexandra Brito, Yousef M Abul-Haija, Diana Soares da Costa, Ramon Novoa-Carballal, Rui L Reis, Rein V Ulijn, Ricardo A Pires, Iva Pashkuleva
Author Information
Alexandra Brito: 3B's Research Group , I3Bs - Research Institute on Biomaterials , Biodegradables and Biomimetics , University of Minho , Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine , AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, 4805-017 Barco , Guimarães , Portugal . Email: pashkuleva@i3bs.uminho.pt ; Email: rpires@i3bs.uminho.pt. ORCID
Yousef M Abul-Haija: Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry , University of Strathclyde , Glasgow G1 1XL , UK. ORCID
Diana Soares da Costa: 3B's Research Group , I3Bs - Research Institute on Biomaterials , Biodegradables and Biomimetics , University of Minho , Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine , AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, 4805-017 Barco , Guimarães , Portugal . Email: pashkuleva@i3bs.uminho.pt ; Email: rpires@i3bs.uminho.pt. ORCID
Ramon Novoa-Carballal: 3B's Research Group , I3Bs - Research Institute on Biomaterials , Biodegradables and Biomimetics , University of Minho , Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine , AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, 4805-017 Barco , Guimarães , Portugal . Email: pashkuleva@i3bs.uminho.pt ; Email: rpires@i3bs.uminho.pt. ORCID
Rui L Reis: 3B's Research Group , I3Bs - Research Institute on Biomaterials , Biodegradables and Biomimetics , University of Minho , Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine , AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, 4805-017 Barco , Guimarães , Portugal . Email: pashkuleva@i3bs.uminho.pt ; Email: rpires@i3bs.uminho.pt. ORCID
Rein V Ulijn: Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) at the Graduate Center , City University of New York (CUNY) , 85 St Nicholas Terrace , New York , New York 10031 , USA . Email: rein.ulijn@asrc.cuny.edu. ORCID
Ricardo A Pires: 3B's Research Group , I3Bs - Research Institute on Biomaterials , Biodegradables and Biomimetics , University of Minho , Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine , AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, 4805-017 Barco , Guimarães , Portugal . Email: pashkuleva@i3bs.uminho.pt ; Email: rpires@i3bs.uminho.pt. ORCID
Iva Pashkuleva: 3B's Research Group , I3Bs - Research Institute on Biomaterials , Biodegradables and Biomimetics , University of Minho , Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine , AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, 4805-017 Barco , Guimarães , Portugal . Email: pashkuleva@i3bs.uminho.pt ; Email: rpires@i3bs.uminho.pt. ORCID
We report the co-assembly of aromatic carbohydrate and dipeptide amphiphiles under physiological conditions as a strategy to generate minimalistic proteoglycan mimics. The resulting nanofibers present a structural, fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-diphenylalanine (Fmoc-FF) core and a functional carbohydrate (Fmoc-glucosamine-6-sulfate or -phosphate) shell. The size, degree of bundling and mechanical properties of the assembled structures depend on the chemical nature of the carbohydrate amphiphile used. In cell culture medium, these nanofibers can further organize into supramolecular hydrogels. We demonstrate that, similar to proteoglycans, the assembled gels prolong the stability of growth factors and preserve the viability of cultured cells. Our results demonstrate that this approach can be applied to the design of extracellular matrix (ECM) substitutes for future regenerative therapies.
