Peptide based hydrogel for bone regeneration applications

Around the world, approximately 100 million people suffer from periodontitis- an inflammatory disease of the tissue supporting the teeth. This inflammation causes alveolar bone loss, which in turn, may lead to loss of tooth. Tissue regeneration has recently emerged as a promising strategy for bone regeneration. Yet, the inherent complexity of the bone, combining essential physical, chemical and biological properties, has so far hindered the application of these methodologies for bone regeneration.

In this research, a short peptide, which has the ability to self-assemble into nano-fibrils and form a 3D hydrogel, was studied for its potential utilization as a scaffold for bone tissue regeneration, as well as a controlled release platform. The peptide includes cell attachment motif and was used for the encapsulation of growth factor and its slow-release. The hydrogel’s physical properties were also tested, along with viability of cells grown on it.

The results demonstrated that higher rigidity of the hydrogel was achieved by increasing the peptide concentration. Growth factors were slowly released from the hydrogels. In addition, the rate of enzymatic degradation of the hydrogel by proteinase-K was higher with lower concentration of peptide forming the hydrogel.

The results suggest the potential applicability of peptide based hydrogels as a bone regeneration, promoting scaffold and controlled release platform for active bio-molecules such as growth factors.