Open AccessLinker-Regulated H2S Release from Aromatic Peptide Amphiphile Hydrogels
Author(s) -
Kuljeet Kaur,
Yin Wang,
John Matson
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
biomacromolecules
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.689
H-Index - 220
eISSN - 1526-4602
pISSN - 1525-7797
DOI - 10.1021/acs.biomac.9b01600
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , chemistry , amphiphile , linker , peptide , circular dichroism , polymer chemistry , biophysics , stereochemistry , organic chemistry , copolymer , polymer , biochemistry , computer science , operating system , biology
Controlled release is an essential requirement for delivery of hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) because of its reactive nature, short half-life in biological fluids, and toxicity at high concentrations. In this context, H 2 S delivery via hydrogels may be beneficial as they can deliver H 2 S locally at the site of interest. Herein, we employed hydrogels based on aromatic peptide amphiphiles (APAs) with tunable mechanical properties to modulate the rates of H 2 S release. The APAs contained an aromatic S -aroylthiooxime (SATO) H 2 S donor attached with a linker to a short IAVEEE hexapeptide. Linker units included carbonyl, substituted O -methylenes, alkenyl, and alkyl segments with the goal of evaluating the role of linker structure on self-assembly, capacity for hydrogelation, and H 2 S release rate. We studied each peptide by transmission electron microscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and rheology, and we measured H 2 S release rates from each gel, triggering SATO decomposition and release of H 2 S by addition of cysteine (Cys). Using an H 2 S-selective electrode probe as well as a turn-on fluorescent H 2 S probe in the presence of H9C2 cardiomyocytes, we found that the rate of H 2 S release from the hydrogels depended on the rate of Cys penetration into the nanofiber core with stiffer gels showing longer overall release.