The fabrication of self-assembling peptides into nanofiber scaffolds through molecular self-assembly

摘要

We designed and fabricated a class of self-assembling peptides into nanofiber scaffolds. KLDL-12 has been shown to be a permissible nanofiber scaffold for chondrocytes in cartilage 3-D cell cultures. However, the biochemical, structural, and biophysical properties of KLDL-12 remain unclear. We show that KLDL-12 peptides form stable β-sheet structures at different pH values and that KLDL-12 and RIDI-12 self-assemble into nanofibers. The nanofiber length, though, is sensitive to pH changes. These results not only suggest the importance of electrostatic attraction or repulsion affecting the fiber lengths but also provide us with useful information for rational design and fabrication of peptide scaffolds.