Peptide Based Functional Hydrogels as Scaffolds for Bone Regeneration

Reconstruction of significant alveolar bone deficiencies due to infections (mainly Periodontitis), aging, trauma and other diseases is a clinical challenge. Current regenerative techniques utilize various materials as bone substitutes or scaffolds but a reliable therapy has yet to emerge.

We have developed innovative biodegradable, biomimetic, hybrid hydrogel scaffolds for bone regeneration, based on self-assembly of short-peptide building blocks. These hydrogels form three dimensional, self-supporting, self-healing structures, composed of a fibrillar nanoscale architecture, which can be observed through electron microscopy, mimicking the fibrillar nature of extracellular matrix.

We have adopted a strategy of co-assembly of two or more building blocks, which allows us to obtain fine-tuning of the hydrogel physical and biological properties, to better fit the many needs of the hierarchical structure of bone tissue. We assessed our hydrogel scaffolds` structural and mechanical properties by spectroscopy, electron microscopy and rheological tests and found them to possess the physical properties required for mimicking bone extracellular matrix. We supplemented the gels with bone ceramics at controlled concentrations, to enhance the resulting scaffolds ability to support the attachment, viability, proliferation and differentiation of pre-osteoblasts.

Finally, we strongly believe these materials can be used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine and have a potential as a drug delivery system. This range of usefulness may be further widened by utilizing these materials as bio-ink for 3D printing.