In vivo neuroprotective effect of a self-assembled peptide hydrogel
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-15-2021
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with poor intrinsic healing responses and long-term cognitive decline. A major pathological outcome of TBI is acute glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity (GME) experienced by neurons. Short peptides based on the neuroprotective extracellular glycoprotein ependymin have shown the ability to slow down the effect of GME — however, such short peptides tend to diffuse away from target sites after in vivo delivery. We have designed a self-assembling peptide containing an ependymin mimic that can form nanofibrous matrices. The peptide was evaluated in situ to assess neuroprotective utility after an acute fluid-percussion injury. This biomimetic matrix can conform to the intracranial damaged site after delivery, due its shear-responsive rheological properties. We demonstrated the potential efficacy of the peptide for supporting neuronal survival in vitro and in vivo. Our study demonstrates the potential of these implantable acellular hydrogels for managing the acute (up to 7 days) pathophysiological sequelae after traumatic brain injury. Further work is needed to evaluate less invasive administrative routes and long-term functional and behavioral improvements after injury.
Identifier
85092477449 (Scopus)
Publication Title
Chemical Engineering Journal
External Full Text Location
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.127295
ISSN
13858947
Volume
408
Grant
1R21AA028340-01
Fund Ref
National Institutes of Health
Recommended Citation
Sarkar, Biplab; Ma, Xiaotang; Agas, Agnieszka; Siddiqui, Zain; Iglesias-Montoro, Patricia; Nguyen, Peter K.; Kim, Ka Kyung; Haorah, James; and Kumar, Vivek A., "In vivo neuroprotective effect of a self-assembled peptide hydrogel" (2021). Faculty Publications. 4245.
https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/fac_pubs/4245
