Biophysical Society Thematic Meeting - October 25-30, 2015

Polymers and Self Assembly: From Biology to Nanomaterials Poster Session I

6-POS Board 6 Rheological Properties of Peptide-Based Hydrogel-Glycosaminoglycan Mixtures Andres Barco 1,2 , Eileen Ingham 1,2 , John Fisher 2,1 , Robert P. Davies 3 , Hazel Fermor 1,2 . 1 Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, Leeds, United Kingdom, 2 Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, Leeds, United Kingdom, 3 Department of Oral Biology, Leeds, United Kingdom. Peptide-based hydrogels are of high interest as a class of biomaterials for their potential use in regenerative medicine. Mixing these hydrogels with materials that may enhance their properties, such as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), has the potential to extend their range of applications. The aims of this study were to investigate the physical properties of self-assembling peptide hydrogels based on three peptides of the P-11 series in combination with chondroitin sulphate using rheology. The hydrogel mixtures of the three peptides were investigated in two different salt solutions at a temperature of 37oC, in order to determine their suitability for a range of applications. Peptide alone, peptide in combination with chondroitin sulphate at two different molar ratios and chondroitin sulphate alone were investigated. A Malvern Kinexus pro rheometer was used to carry out the measurements. An amplitude sweep at two frequencies (1Hz & 20Hz) was run to determine a suitable strain value within the linear viscoelastic region (LVER). This strain value was used to run a frequency sweep across a range of frequencies (1-20Hz) to determine the elastic and viscous modulus of the material. The results indicated that all of the variables (peptide, salt concentration, and chondroitin sulphate molar ratio) had a significant effect on the mechanical properties of the hydrogels. However, one of the peptide-hydrogel mixtures, P11-8, showed greater mechanical strength in both salt solutions and molar ratios when compared to other peptide hydrogel mixtures. This peptide-hydrogel mixture will be investigated further in glycosaminoglycan depleted model tissues.

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