Facile Control over the Supramolecular Ordering of Selfassembled Peptide Scaffolds by Simultaneous Assembly with a Polysacharride
Li, Rui; Boyd-Moss, Mitchell; Long, Benjamin; Martel, Anne; Parnell, Andrew; Dennison, Andrew J. C.; Barrow, Colin J.; Nisbet, David R.; Williams, Richard J.
Enabling control over macromolecular ordering and the spatial distribution of structures formed via the mechanisms of molecular self-assembly is a challenge that could yield a range of new functional materials. In particular, using the self-assembly of minimalist peptides, to drive the incorporation of large complex molecules will allow a functionalization strategy for the next generation of biomaterial engineering. Here, for the first time, we show that co-assembly with increasing concentrations of a highly charged polysaccharide, fucoidan, the microscale ordering of Fmoc-FRGDF peptide fibrils and subsequent mechanical properties of the resultant hydrogel can be easily and effectively manipulated without disruption to the nanofibrillar structure of the assembly.
Published in: Scientific Reports, 10.1038/s41598-017-04643-3, Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature
