In Situ SVVYGLR Peptide Conjugation into Injectable Gelatin-Poly(ethylene glycol)-Tyramine Hydrogel via Enzyme-Mediated Reaction for Enhancement of Endothelial Cell Activity and Neo-Vascularization

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/bc300110b

The authors make gelatin-PEG tyramine gels (GPT gels) that they functionalize with a SVVYGLR peptide. The SVVYGLR sequence, often found near an RGD sequence in different types of ECM, has been shown to improve adhesion, migration, and tube formation of endothelial cells. Crosslinking and bioconjugation of the peptide sequence is done using a horseradish-peroxide (HRP) mediated tyrosine radical dimerization. The authors then demonstrate that human umbilical endothelial cells have better attachment and proliferation on gels containing the SVVYGLR sequence than on gels containing just RGD. They also look at the vascularization of gels subcutaneously injected into rats.

Most interesting aspects of the paper are the enzyme-mediated cross-linking and the SVVYGLR peptide.