Learning from Nature to Form New Organic Materials for Tissue Regeneration

Molecular self-assembly is a key direction in current nanotechnology based material science fields. In this approach, the physical properties of the formed assemblies are directed by the inherent characteristics of the specific building blocks used. Molecular co-assembly at varied stoichiometry substantially increases the structural and functional diversity of the formed assemblies, thus allowing tuning both their architecture as well as their physical properties.

In particular, building blocks of short peptide and amino acid can form ordered assemblies such as nanotubes, nanospheres and 3D-hydrogels. These assemblies were shown to have unique mechanical, optical, piezoelectric and semiconductive properties. Yet, the control over the physical properties of the structure has remained challenging. For example, controlling nanotube length in solution is difficult, due to the inherent sequential self-assembly mechanism. Another example is the control of 3D-hydrogel scaffold’s physical properties, including mechanical strength, degradation profile and injectability, which are important for tissue engineering applications.

Here, in line with polymer chemistry paradigms, we applied a supramolecular polymer co-assembly methodology to modulate the physical properties of peptide nanotubes and hydrogel scaffolds. Utilizing this approach with peptide nanotubes, we achieved narrow nanotube length distribution by adjusting the molecular ratio between the two building blocks; the diphenylalanine assembly unit and its end-capped analogue. In addition, applying a co-assembly approach on hydrogel forming peptides resulted in a synergistic modulation of the mechanical properties, forming extraordinary rigid hydrogels.

This work provides a conceptual framework for the utilization of co-assembly strategies to push the limits of nanostructures physical properties obtained through self-assembly.