Nanostructured Antigen-Responsive Hydrogels Based on Peptides for Leishmaniasis Detection

Abstract

Hydrogels based on peptide nanostructures are biological entities that can be applied in a wide range of applications, such as scaffolds for tissue engineering, drug delivery, and biosensors. The aim of this research was to study peptide hydrogels based on N-(9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)-L,L-diphenylalanine (Fmoc-FF) in two different media: water and phosphate buffer. These hydrogels were used for encapsulating Leishmania infantun chagasi soluble proteins. The structure of the matrices was investigated in detail through scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The mechanical behavior of the hydrogels were assessed through rheology assays, demonstrating both the physical and chemical stability of the hydrogel scaffolds. The immunogenicity of immobilized antigens was studied using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detection after the reaction with positive and negative dog sera for Leishmania infantum chagasi. The hydrogel was efficient to encapsulate antigens, and can promote the development of novel devices that requires the storage of biomolecules under moist environmental conditions.

Hierarchical Self‐Assembly of Peptides and its Applications in Bionanotechnology

“…The development of bioinspired systems is a cutting‐edge research area for environmentally‐safe and sustainable materials. The potential applications of these nanostructures have been demonstrated in the design of optical waveguides, neurotransmitter and enzymatic sensing, rational drug design, photodynamic therapy, solar cells, and optical biosensors . Among the various biological molecular assemblies available, peptide nanostructures can be easily modified with biomolecules, transition metals, conjugated polymers, and magnetic materials enhancing their functionality for applications in nanotechnology.…”

“…As previously described, the primary structure will contribute to define, together with the environmental conditions, the protein secondary and tertiary structure, which provide high organization and performance of biological activities with high specificity. In this context, peptides can be selected as bioreceptors in antibody–antigen interactions, which is mainly due to its synthetic approach; this enables the synthesis only of the recognized sequence (epitope), simulating the molecular interaction that occurs in the immune system . Other types of biorecognition are available for further detection, such as the use of peptides as enzymatic substrates as a way to detect enzymatic activity and the use of specific peptides for DNA/RNA sensing, protein sensing, and metallic ion sensing …”

Metal Cation Triggered Peptide Hydrogels and Their Application in Food Freshness Monitoring and Dye Adsorption

“…Peptide based supramolecular hydrogels are of particular importance, as they find applications in tissue engineering [ 23 , 24 ], as biosensors [ 25 , 26 , 27 ], or as drug carriers [ 28 , 29 , 30 ]. On the other hand, peptide self-assembly has emerged also as an important tool for the design of bioinspired functional materials [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ].…”

A Short Peptide Hydrogel with High Stiffness Induced by 310‐Helices to β‐Sheet Transition in Water

“…In many cases, short peptide‐based hydrogels are assembled from β‐sheets, β‐hairpins, or coiled‐coil α‐helices . Some peptides employ organic solvents to trigger gelation or toxic chemicals for cross‐linking, which is not ideal from a biocompatibility perspective . Hence peptide hydrogels assembled from uncommon secondary structural constructs may expand the existing peptide hydrogel libraries and have the potential to provide new characteristics, such as a broader range of moduli and water‐based gelation.…”