@article{Shu2026, 
author = {Xiang Shu and Zhaoyang Wang and Ying Wen and Yuexin Shi and Xue-Wang Gao and Shumin Yang and Jianqun Shao and Ke Feng and Bin Chen and Nan Xie and Chen-Ho Tung and Li-Zhu Wu},
title = {Photochemically fabricated peptide hydrogels from de novo design to application in antibacterial therapy and wound healing},
year = {2026},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {19},
number = {5},
pages = {94908544},
keywords = {antibacterial activity, wound healing, photocrosslinking, peptide hydrogels, de novo design},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2026.94908544},
doi = {10.26599/NR.2026.94908544},
abstract = {De novo designed peptide amphiphiles have been exemplified as building blocks for direct fabrication of biofunctional hydrogels through a photochemical approach. Herein, by incorporating diphenylalanine (FF) as a self-assembling antibacterial motif and dityrosine (YY) as a photocrosslinkable unit, the peptide sequences are interconnected through alternating hydrophilic D (L-aspartate) and hydrophobic X (ε-aminocaproic acid) residues to achieve a precise balance between non-covalent fibrillization and covalent crosslinking. Upon visible-light irradiation, these peptides undergo rapid photocrosslinking in aqueous media, yielding hydrogels with tunable gelation properties, robust mechanical stability, and adjustable functionality. The optimized 4Y6F hydrogel exhibits strong antibacterial efficacy against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, attributed to synergistic structural interactions. In vivo wound healing studies demonstrate accelerated re-epithelialization, enhanced collagen deposition, and improved angiogenesis, significantly outperforming control groups and commercial formulations. This study presents a versatile peptide platform for the photochemical fabrication of hydrogels, advancing from de novo design to practical applications in antibacterial therapy and wound healing, and offering a promising bottom-up approach for a wide range of biomedical scenarios.}
}