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Ciulla MG, Marchini A, Gazzola J, Forouharshad M, Pugliese R, Gelain F. In Situ Transglutaminase Cross-Linking Improves Mechanical Properties of Self-Assembling Peptides for Biomedical Applications. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2024; 7:1723-1734. [PMID: 38346174 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.3c01148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
The development of three-dimensional (3D) biomaterials that mimic natural tissues is required for efficiently restoring physiological functions of injured tissues and organs. In the field of soft hydrogels, self-assembled peptides (SAPs) stand out as distinctive biomimetic scaffolds, offering tunable properties. They have garnered significant attention in nanomedicine due to their innate ability to self-assemble, resulting in the creation of fibrous nanostructures that closely mimic the microenvironment of the extracellular matrix (ECM). This unique feature ensures their biocompatibility and bioactivity, making them a compelling area of study over the past few decades. As they are soft hydrogels, approaches are necessary to enhance the stiffness and resilience of the SAP materials. This work shows an enzymatic strategy to selectively increase the stiffness and resiliency of functionalized SAPs using transglutaminase (TGase) type 2, an enzyme capable of triggering the formation of isopeptide bonds. To this aim, we synthesized a set of SAP sequences and characterized their cross-linking via rheological experiments, atomic force microscopy (AFM), thioflavin-T binding assay, and infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) tests. The results showed an improvement of the storage modulus of cross-linked SAPs at no cost of the maximum stress-at-failure. Further, in in vitro tests, we examined and validated the TGase capability to cross-link SAPs without hampering seeded neural stem cells (hNSCs) viability and differentiation, potentially leaving the door open for safe in situ cross-linking reactions in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Gessica Ciulla
- Institute for Stem-Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Amanda Marchini
- Institute for Stem-Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
- Center for Nanomedicine and Tissue Engineering (CNTE), ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, 20162 Milan, Italy
| | - Jacopo Gazzola
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milan - Bicocca, 20125 Milan, Italy
| | - Mahdi Forouharshad
- Institute for Stem-Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
- Center for Nanomedicine and Tissue Engineering (CNTE), ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, 20162 Milan, Italy
| | - Raffaele Pugliese
- Center for Nanomedicine and Tissue Engineering (CNTE), ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, 20162 Milan, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Gelain
- Institute for Stem-Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
- Center for Nanomedicine and Tissue Engineering (CNTE), ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, 20162 Milan, Italy
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Matsuura K, Inaba H. Photoresponsive peptide materials: Spatiotemporal control of self-assembly and biological functions. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2023; 4:041303. [PMID: 38505425 PMCID: PMC10903425 DOI: 10.1063/5.0179171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Peptides work as both functional molecules to modulate various biological phenomena and self-assembling artificial materials. The introduction of photoresponsive units to peptides allows the spatiotemporal remote control of their structure and function upon light irradiation. This article overviews the photoresponsive peptide design, interaction with biomolecules, and applications in self-assembling materials over the last 30 years. Peptides modified with photochromic (photoisomerizable) molecules, such as azobenzene and spiropyran, reversibly photo-controlled the binding to biomolecules and nanostructure formation through self-assembly. Photocleavable molecular units irreversibly control the functions of peptides through cleavage of the main chain and deprotection by light. Photocrosslinking between peptides or between peptides and other biomolecules enhances the structural stability of peptide assemblies and complexes. These photoresponsive peptides spatiotemporally controlled the formation and dissociation of peptide assemblies, gene expressions, protein-drug interactions, protein-protein interactions, liposome deformation and motility, cytoskeleton structure and stability, and cell functions by appropriate light irradiation. These molecular systems can be applied to photo-control biological functions, molecular robots, artificial cells, and next-generation smart drug delivery materials.
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Ciulla MG, Massironi A, Sugni M, Ensign MA, Marzorati S, Forouharshad M. Recent Advances in the Development of Biomimetic Materials. Gels 2023; 9:833. [PMID: 37888406 PMCID: PMC10606425 DOI: 10.3390/gels9100833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
In this review, we focused on recent efforts in the design and development of materials with biomimetic properties. Innovative methods promise to emulate cell microenvironments and tissue functions, but many aspects regarding cellular communication, motility, and responsiveness remain to be explained. We photographed the state-of-the-art advancements in biomimetics, and discussed the complexity of a "bottom-up" artificial construction of living systems, with particular highlights on hydrogels, collagen-based composites, surface modifications, and three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting applications. Fast-paced 3D printing and artificial intelligence, nevertheless, collide with reality: How difficult can it be to build reproducible biomimetic materials at a real scale in line with the complexity of living systems? Nowadays, science is in urgent need of bioengineering technologies for the practical use of bioinspired and biomimetics for medicine and clinics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria G. Ciulla
- Department of Chemistry, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via C. Golgi 19, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Alessio Massironi
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Michela Sugni
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Matthew A. Ensign
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Stefania Marzorati
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Mahdi Forouharshad
- Department of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
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Ciulla MG, Marchini A, Gazzola J, Sambrotta M, Gelain F. Low-power microwaves: a cell-compatible physical treatment to enhance the mechanical properties of self-assembling peptides. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:15840-15854. [PMID: 37747054 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr02738d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Biomaterials designed for tissue engineering applications should, among other requirements, mimic the native extracellular matrix (ECM) of the tissues to be regenerated, both in terms of biomimetic and mechanical properties. Ideally, the scaffold stiffness and stress resistance should be tuned for each specific implantation therapy. Self-assembling peptides (SAPs) are promising synthetic bionanomaterials prone to easy multi-functionalization, bestowing biomimetic properties. However, they usually yield soft and fragile hydrogels unsuited for the regeneration of medium-to-hard tissues. For this purpose, chemical cross-linking of SAPs is an option, but it often requires a moderately toxic and expensive chemical compound and/or the presence of specific residues/reactive sites, posing issues for its feasibility and translational potential. In this work, we introduced, characterized by rheology, atomic force microscopy (AFM), Thioflavin-T assay (ThT), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) tests, and optimized (by tuning the power, temperature and treatment time) a novel fast, green and affordable methodology using mild microwave (MW) irradiation to increase the mechanical properties of diverse classes of SAPs. Low-power MWs increase stiffness, resilience, and β-structuration, while high-power MW treatments partially denature the tested SAPs. Our pure-physical methodology does not alter the SAP biomimetic properties (verified via in vitro tests of viability and differentiation of human neural stem cells), is compatible with already seeded cells, and is also synergic with genipin-based cross-linking of SAPs; therefore, it may become the next standard for SAP preparation in tissue engineering applications at hand of all research labs and in clinics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Gessica Ciulla
- Institute for Stem-Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
| | - Amanda Marchini
- Institute for Stem-Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
- Center for Nanomedicine and Tissue Engineering (CNTE), ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, 20162 Milan, Italy
| | - Jacopo Gazzola
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioscience, University of Milan - Bicocca, 20125 Milan, Italy
| | - Manuel Sambrotta
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Gelain
- Institute for Stem-Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
- Center for Nanomedicine and Tissue Engineering (CNTE), ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, 20162 Milan, Italy
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Doolan JA, Williams GT, Hilton KLF, Chaudhari R, Fossey JS, Goult BT, Hiscock JR. Advancements in antimicrobial nanoscale materials and self-assembling systems. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:8696-8755. [PMID: 36190355 PMCID: PMC9575517 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs00915j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is directly responsible for more deaths per year than either HIV/AIDS or malaria and is predicted to incur a cumulative societal financial burden of at least $100 trillion between 2014 and 2050. Already heralded as one of the greatest threats to human health, the onset of the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the prevalence of antimicrobial resistant bacterial infections due to factors including increased global antibiotic/antimicrobial use. Thus an urgent need for novel therapeutics to combat what some have termed the 'silent pandemic' is evident. This review acts as a repository of research and an overview of the novel therapeutic strategies being developed to overcome antimicrobial resistance, with a focus on self-assembling systems and nanoscale materials. The fundamental mechanisms of action, as well as the key advantages and disadvantages of each system are discussed, and attention is drawn to key examples within each field. As a result, this review provides a guide to the further design and development of antimicrobial systems, and outlines the interdisciplinary techniques required to translate this fundamental research towards the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack A Doolan
- School of Chemistry and Forensic Science, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NH, UK.
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, UK.
| | - George T Williams
- School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Kira L F Hilton
- School of Chemistry and Forensic Science, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NH, UK.
| | - Rajas Chaudhari
- School of Chemistry and Forensic Science, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NH, UK.
| | - John S Fossey
- School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Benjamin T Goult
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NJ, UK.
| | - Jennifer R Hiscock
- School of Chemistry and Forensic Science, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NH, UK.
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