Self-Assembling Peptides: From Design to Biomedical Applications |
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Authors: | Sara La Manna Concetta Di Natale Valentina Onesto Daniela Marasco |
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Affiliation: | 1.Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy;2.Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, IIT@CRIB, Largo Barsanti e Matteucci, 53, 80125 Napoli, Italy;3.Centro di Ricerca Interdipartimentale sui Biomateriali CRIB, Università di Napoli Federico II, Piazzale Tecchio, 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy;4.Institute of Nanotechnology, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR NANOTEC, via Monteroni, c/o Campus Ecotekne, 73100 Lecce, Italy; |
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Abstract: | Self-assembling peptides could be considered a novel class of agents able to harvest an array of micro/nanostructures that are highly attractive in the biomedical field. By modifying their amino acid composition, it is possible to mime several biological functions; when assembled in micro/nanostructures, they can be used for a variety of purposes such as tissue regeneration and engineering or drug delivery to improve drug release and/or stability and to reduce side effects. Other significant advantages of self-assembled peptides involve their biocompatibility and their ability to efficiently target molecular recognition sites. Due to their intrinsic characteristics, self-assembled peptide micro/nanostructures are capable to load both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs, and they are suitable to achieve a triggered drug delivery at disease sites by inserting in their structure’s stimuli-responsive moieties. The focus of this review was to summarize the most recent and significant studies on self-assembled peptides with an emphasis on their application in the biomedical field. |
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Keywords: | SAPs self-assembly drug delivery tissue regeneration biomaterials hydrogel |
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