Elastin‐Hyaluronan Bioconjugate as Bioactive Component in Electrospun Scaffolds. Issue 58 (24th August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Laezza, Antonio; Pepe, Antonietta; Bochicchio, Brigida
• Is Part Of: Chemistry. Volume 28:Issue 58(2022)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2022-08-24
• Subjects: bioconjugation -- circular dichroism -- elastin peptides -- electrospinning -- hyaluronic acid; Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/chem.202201959
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0947-6539

Abstract

Abstract: Hyaluronic acid or hyaluronan (HA) and elastin‐inspired peptides (EL) have been widely recognized as bioinspired materials useful in biomedical applications. The aim of the present work is the production of electrospun scaffolds as wound dressing materials which would benefit from synergic action of the bioactivity of elastin peptides and the regenerative properties of hyaluronic acid. Taking advantage of thiol‐ene chemistry, a bioactive elastin peptide was successfully conjugated to methacrylated hyaluronic acid (MAHA) and electrospun together with poly‐D, L ‐lactide (PDLLA). To the best of our knowledge, limited reports on peptide‐conjugated hyaluronic acid were described in literature, and none of these was employed for the production of electrospun scaffolds. The conformational studies carried out by Circular Dichroism (CD) on the bioconjugated compound confirmed the preservation of secondary structure of the peptide after conjugation while Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed the supramolecular structure of the electrospun scaffolds. Overall, the study demonstrates that the bioconjugation of hyaluronic acid with the elastin peptide improved the electrospinning processability with improved characteristics in terms of morphology of the final scaffolds. Abstract : The persistence of α‐helix conformation in a bioactive peptide after the conjugation with hyaluronic acid confirms thiol‐ene chemistry as a successful strategy adopting mild conditions. The electrospun scaffolds showed the double advantage of an improved regularity of nanofiber pattern by hyaluronic acid addition and the presence of a bioactive peptide.