Growth factors release from peptide based hydrogels for bone regeneration in periodontitis

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease initiated by an oral bacterial biofilm, resulting in significant irregularly-shaped bone defects that can lead to tooth loss. While the bone is capable of self-healing in normal conditions, especially in young individuals, the constantly increasing life expectancy and aging world population give rise to rapid and proportional increase in tooth loss followed by alveolar bone deficiency.
ECM-mimicking hydrogels are considered promising candidates for bio-scaffolds in tissue engineering applications. In addition, growth factors are used for the treatment of a variety of bone-related conditions. Here we aim to encapsulate growth factors in ECM-mimicking hydrogels and release them in a controlled manner. For this aim, we choose short peptide, known to self-assemble in aqueous environments into nanofibers, to create hydrogels with remarkable mechanical properties. We characterized the hydrogel using various approaches, and examined its capability to mimic ECM and to function as a slow-release platform for bio-molecules, in order to assess its potential use in medical applications. The hydrogel`s structure was shown to be nano-fibrillar in nature and demonstrated high stability and rigidity over time. Furthermore, the hydrogel did not show impairment of MC3T3-E1 preosteoblast cell viability and supported cell growth. These results suggest that using this peptide-based hydrogel as functional biomaterial for bone
regeneration is feasible, in a wide range of medical indications.