Macromolecular crowding and hydrophobic effects on Fmoc-diphenylalanine hydrogel formation in PEG:water mixtures

Md. Musfizur Hassan, Adam D. Martin, Pall Thordarson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Citations (Scopus)
45 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

A small peptide-based gelator forms stable hydrogels in an aqueous mixture with a range of poly(ethylene glycol) PEGs, from the ethylene glycol monomer to PEG 20 000 with stronger gels forming in polymeric PEG. Spectroscopic studies on these systems reveal significant secondary structural changes when compared to gels formed from pure water. The use of PEG also facilitates the incorporation and controlled release of poorly water-soluble anti-cancer drugs such as Temozolomide and Paclitaxel (Taxol®). This work provides a powerful insight into the role of macromolecular crowding and hydrophobic interactions in not only hydrogels formed from small molecules but potentially also biological gel-like materials such as the cytosol and the extracellular matrix (ECM).
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)9269-9276
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Materials Chemistry B
Volume3
Issue number48
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Copyright The Royal Society of Chemistry 2015. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

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