Peptide hydrogel for stem cell delivery

Abstract

Here, we report biomimetic chimeric peptide-tethered bioactive fibrin hydrogel scaffold for enhanced survival of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC). We designed biomimetic chimeric peptide to tether and stimulate hMSC, and to anchor hMSC to fibrin gel matrix. As an hMSC-tethering moiety, two types of peptides were compared for cell adhesion ability. RGD and osteopontin-derived peptide (OP) showed similar adhesion to hMSC. However, hMSC-proliferation ability was observed in SVV, but not in RGD. To anchor hMSC to fibrin gel, natural fibrin-binding protein-derived peptide (FBP) was tested. The loading of FBP to fibrin gel was 8.2-fold higher as compared to that of scrambled peptide of same amino compositions of FBP (scFBP). Fluorescent FBP-loaded fibrin gels retained at the injection site longer than fluorescent scFBP-loaded fibrin gels. At 48 hr after injection, the photon intensity of fluorescent FBP-loaded fibrin gels was 15.9-fold higher than that of fluorescent scFBP-grafted fibrin gels. Given the fibrin gel-binding properties of FBP and the hMSC-binding and proliferation properties of OP, chimeric peptides were constructed to have FBP and OP using a spacer linker (FBPsOP). Four days after transplantation, the number of residual hMSC in FBPsOP-grafted fibrin gels was 3.9-fold higher as compared to hMSC in fibrin gel alone. Our results suggest the potential of the FBPsOP-grafted fibrin gel as a bioactive scaffold for transplantation of stem cells.