(342g) Assembly of Novel Tripeptides Hydrogels

We have discovered a unique series of tripeptides that form strong hydrogels. The hydrogels are composed of micron sized fibrils that are highly entangled and volume spanning. These hydrogels have potential in biomedical and drug delivery applications as they are inexpensive to synthesize and biocompatible. Previous studies found that the tripeptide glycylalanylglycine in 55 mol% ethanol/45 mol% water forms a gel below a melting temperature of ca. 36 °C. This gel is of particular interest because it defies our current understanding of peptide aggregation mechanisms. This study aims to understand the consecutive formation of aggregates, fibrils and gel network using rheology and differential scanning calorimetry tools. We will investigate the impact of ethanol, peptide concentration, pH and temperature on the kinetics, structure and strength of the gel to improve aggregation models and to develop this novel material for drug delivery applications.