14 - Protein and peptide nanofiber matrices for the regenerative medicine

Abstract

Proteins and peptides-based biomaterials play a significant role in biomedical engineering. The protein and peptide-based scaffolds facilitate modification of a range of biomaterial properties, producing a promising alternative to synthetic polymeric scaffolds. The designed scaffolds can imitate the diverse properties of the natural extracellular matrix, and therefore, promote the cell adhesion, cell signaling, elasticity, and biodegradability. Cell-biomaterial interactions are intermediated by the nature and conformation of the adsorbed proteins. Considering the importance of proteins and peptides-modified scaffolds in the tissue engineering, the self-assembly of peptides can be altered for particular applications by varying the nature of peptide sequences. In addition, different types of biofunctionalization strategies have also been proposed to enhance the biological performance of hydrogels, particularly intrinsic bioactivity. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview on the fundamental properties, structure, and applications of proteins and peptides-based scaffold starting from the basic classification of common protein and peptide folds to the production of highly organized self-assembled structures with potential application in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.