Hyaluronic Acid Fibres in Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis — Their Properties, Morphology and Stability

Different methods and materials can be used for peptide synthesis. One of the most common approaches is synthesis on a solid phase. In this paper, we describe fibres based on hyaluronic acid (HA) and their properties under solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) conditions. The fibres were prepared by wet spinning technology and were used to study their stability and mechanical properties under the reaction conditions for direct peptide synthesis or conjugation with a pre-synthesized peptide. Fibres in the form of a non-woven textile were then used as a proof of concept for the adhesion of cells on short cell-adhesion peptides. The methods, solvents and reaction conditions used showed no significant influence on the necessary stability of the HA fibres when the Fmoc/tBu strategy was applied. Furthermore, the stability of the HA fibres in aqueous solution was strongly improved. The stabilization and presence of cell-adhesive peptides supported the adhesion of cardiomyocyte cells, which confirmed the functionality of the modified textile. Therefore, HA carriers bearing peptides could be advantageously employed in various biomedical applications as repair patches.