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Biomolecules
Special Issues
Self-Assembling Peptides
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Self-Assembling Peptides

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (23 April 2020) | Viewed by 17530

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Carlos Semino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Tissue Engineering Research Laboratory, Bioengineering Department, IQS-School of Engineering, Ramon Llull University, Via Augusta 390, 08017 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: self-assembling peptide scaffolds; tissue engineering; 3D-culture systems; pancreatic cancer organoid model
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

For more than three decades, the development of new biomaterials with extended specifications for their use in biomedicine has been the main aim in many academic and industrial research and development programs. Therefore, the concept of molecular self-assembly as the key factor for new material development has always been a very attractive idea, due to its similarity to naturally occurring processes. In fact, a direct consequence of the self-assembly process in biological systems is the formation of highly organized and stable macromolecular structures with specific functions, such as informational (e.g., DNA, RNA), structural and mechanical (e.g., cellular cytoskeleton, cell membrane), as well as instructive (e.g., basement membrane). This is why the development of self-assembling peptides (SAPs) and their use as extracellular matrix (ECM) analogs have revolutionized fields such as bioengineering, tissue engineering, and biomedicine. In fact, SAPs have been used for in vitro applications to study the behavior and function of cells in three-dimensional culture conditions with specific biomechanical and structural configurations, including tissue, organ, and tumor models. Moreover, SAPs have been used for the in vivo repair and regeneration of tissue in innumerable examples, as well as in drug delivery devices, and to develop preclinical animal models for the assessment of new therapeutic methods (e.g., myocardial infarction, scar healing, optic nerve regeneration, and many more).

The aim of this Special Issue on Self-Assembling Peptides is to communicate the current state-of-the-art of the field, potential advances, new ideas, and future perspectives for the research and application of this special type of biomaterial to be used in bioengineering, tissue engineering, and biomedicine.

In this Special Issue, I will be delighted to publish research articles and reviews on the following areas: self-assembling peptide hydrogels for their use in cell and tissue culture, composite and nanocomposite hydrogels, surface modification using self-assembling peptides, 3D-printing/bioprinting of self-assembling peptides, use of self-assembling peptides for tissue engineering, drug/protein delivery, bioengineered platforms to study cell proliferation, migration or differentiation in culture chambers, Lab on Chip, establishment of organ model units, disease and cancer models using biodevices and self-assembling peptides.

Dr. Carlos Semino
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hydrogels
  • surface modification
  • nanocomposites
  • bioengineering
  • tissue engineering
  • biomedicine
  • 3D tissue model
  • 3D organ model
  • drug delivery
  • Lab on Chip
  • disease model

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3782 KiB  
Article
Culture and Differentiation of Human Hair Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells in a Soft 3D Self-Assembling Peptide Scaffold
by Nausika Betriu, Claire Jarrosson-Moral and Carlos E. Semino
Biomolecules 2020, 10(5), 684; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom10050684 - 28 Apr 2020
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 7731
Abstract
Hair follicle dermal papilla cells (HFDPC) are a specialized cell population located in the bulge of the hair follicle with unique characteristics such as aggregative behavior and the ability to induce new hair follicle formation. However, when expanded in conventional 2D monolayer culture, [...] Read more.
Hair follicle dermal papilla cells (HFDPC) are a specialized cell population located in the bulge of the hair follicle with unique characteristics such as aggregative behavior and the ability to induce new hair follicle formation. However, when expanded in conventional 2D monolayer culture, their hair inductive potency is rapidly lost. Different 3D culture techniques, including cell spheroid formation, have been described to restore, at least partially, their original phenotype, and therefore, their hair inductive ability once transplanted into a recipient skin. Moreover, hair follicle dermal papilla cells have been shown to differentiate into all mesenchymal lineages, but their differentiation potential has only been tested in 2D cultures. In the present work, we have cultured HFDPC in the 3D self-assembling peptide scaffold RAD16-I to test two different tissue engineering scenarios: restoration of HFDPC original phenotype after cell expansion and osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation. Experimental results showed that the 3D environment provided by RAD16-I allowed the restoration of HFDPC signature markers such as alkaline phosphatase, versican and corin. Moreover, RAD16-I supported, in the presence of chemical inductors, three-dimensional osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation. Altogether, this study suggests a potential 3D culture platform based on RAD16-I suitable for the culture, original phenotype recovery and differentiation of HFDPC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Assembling Peptides)
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17 pages, 3565 KiB  
Article
A Cell-Free SDKP-Conjugated Self-Assembling Peptide Hydrogel Sufficient for Improvement of Myocardial Infarction
by Saman Firoozi, Sara Pahlavan, Mohammad-Hossein Ghanian, Shahram Rabbani, Shima Tavakol, Maryam Barekat, Saeed Yakhkeshi, Elena Mahmoudi, Mansoureh Soleymani and Hossein Baharvand
Biomolecules 2020, 10(2), 205; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom10020205 - 30 Jan 2020
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4539
Abstract
Biomaterials in conjunction with stem cell therapy have recently attracted attention as a new therapeutic approach for myocardial infarction (MI), with the aim to solve the delivery challenges that exist with transplanted cells. Self-assembling peptide (SAP) hydrogels comprise a promising class of synthetic [...] Read more.
Biomaterials in conjunction with stem cell therapy have recently attracted attention as a new therapeutic approach for myocardial infarction (MI), with the aim to solve the delivery challenges that exist with transplanted cells. Self-assembling peptide (SAP) hydrogels comprise a promising class of synthetic biomaterials with cardiac-compatible properties such as mild gelation, injectability, rehealing ability, and potential for sequence modification. Herein, we developed an SAP hydrogel composed of a self-assembling gel-forming core sequence (RADA) modified with SDKP motif with pro-angiogenic and anti-fibrotic activity to be used as a cardioprotective scaffold. The RADA-SDKP hydrogel was intramyocardially injected into the infarct border zone of a rat model of MI induced by left anterior descending artery (LAD) ligation as a cell-free or a cell-delivering scaffold for bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs). The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was markedly improved after transplantation of either free hydrogel or cell-laden hydrogel. This cardiac functional repair coincided very well with substantially lower fibrotic tissue formation, expanded microvasculature, and lower inflammatory response in the infarct area. Interestingly, BM-MSCs alone or in combination with hydrogel could not surpass the cardiac repair effects of the SDKP-modified SAP hydrogel. Taken together, we suggest that the RADA-SDKP hydrogel can be a promising cell-free construct that has the capability for functional restoration in the instances of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) that might minimize the safety concerns of cardiac cell therapy and facilitate clinical extrapolation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Assembling Peptides)
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19 pages, 5947 KiB  
Article
Development of a Three-Dimensional Bioengineered Platform for Articular Cartilage Regeneration
by Gerard Rubí-Sans, Lourdes Recha-Sancho, Soledad Pérez-Amodio, Miguel Ángel Mateos-Timoneda, Carlos Eduardo Semino and Elisabeth Engel
Biomolecules 2020, 10(1), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom10010052 - 28 Dec 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4654
Abstract
Degenerative cartilage pathologies are nowadays a major problem for the world population. Factors such as age, genetics or obesity can predispose people to suffer from articular cartilage degeneration, which involves severe pain, loss of mobility and consequently, a loss of quality of life. [...] Read more.
Degenerative cartilage pathologies are nowadays a major problem for the world population. Factors such as age, genetics or obesity can predispose people to suffer from articular cartilage degeneration, which involves severe pain, loss of mobility and consequently, a loss of quality of life. Current strategies in medicine are focused on the partial or total replacement of affected joints, physiotherapy and analgesics that do not address the underlying pathology. In an attempt to find an alternative therapy to restore or repair articular cartilage functions, the use of bioengineered tissues is proposed. In this study we present a three-dimensional (3D) bioengineered platform combining a 3D printed polycaprolactone (PCL) macrostructure with RAD16-I, a soft nanofibrous self-assembling peptide, as a suitable microenvironment for human mesenchymal stem cells’ (hMSC) proliferation and differentiation into chondrocytes. This 3D bioengineered platform allows for long-term hMSC culture resulting in chondrogenic differentiation and has mechanical properties resembling native articular cartilage. These promising results suggest that this approach could be potentially used in articular cartilage repair and regeneration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Self-Assembling Peptides)
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