Supramolecular hydrogels formed by the conjugates of nucleobases, Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptides, and glucosamine.

Li, Xinming; Du, Xuewen; Gao, Yuan; Shi, Junfeng; Kuang, Yi; Xu, Bing · Soft Matter · 2012

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Here we report the generation of a novel class of supramolecular hydrogelators based on the integration of nucleobase, Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptides, and glucosamine in a single molecule. These novel small molecule hydrogelators self-assemble in water to form stable supramolecular nanofibers/hydrogels and exhibit useful biostability. This approach provides a new opportunity for systematic exploration of the self-assembly of small biomolecules by varying any individual segment to generate a large array of supramolecular hydrogels for biological functions and for biomedical applications.