N-(9-Fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)-L-Phenylalanine/nano-hydroxyapatite hybrid supramolecular hydrogels as drug delivery vehicles with antibacterial property and cytocompatibility.

The intrinsic fragility of hydroxyapatite (HAP) restricts its wider applications for local delivery of antibiotics. The composites formed by integrating HAP with hydrogels can improve the properties of HAP. However, these reported composites not only require tedious preparation and employ organic solvent and toxic reagents, but also hardly have inherent antimicrobial property. In this study, N-(9-Fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)-L-Phenylalanine/nano-hydroxyapatite (Fmoc-L-Phe/nHAP) hybrid supramolecular hydrogels with antibacterial property and cytocompatibility was prepared by integrating nHAP as reinforcement with Fmoc-L-Phe supramolecular hydrogels. The results showed that nHAP bounds in the chamber of the gel network and adheres to the fiber of Fmoc-L-Phe due to intermolecular interaction, remarkably improving the mechanical strength of Fmoc-L-Phe supramolecular hydrogels. The results of inhibition zone experiment and MTT experiment showed that the Fmoc-L-Phe/nHAP hybrid supramolecular hydrogels possess antimicrobial property and cytocompatibility. In vitro release experiment of chlorogenic acid (CGA) from the hybrid supramolecular hydrogels was performed. The study of the release kinetics indicated that the release behavior of CGA from the hybrid supramolecular hydrogels is following Weibull model and release mechanism involved Fickian diffusion and erosion of the surface of hydrogel matrix. The release of CGA shows a good inhibition effect on S. aureus. The results show that the Fmoc-L-Phe/nHAP hybrid hydrogels with antibacterial property and cytocompatibility have promising applications as drug delivery carrier. Due to the intrinsic fragility of hydroxyapatite (HAP), the properties of HAP could be improved by incorporation into hydrogels. However, these reported composites not only require tedious preparation and employ organic solvent and toxic reagents, but also hardly have inherent antimicrobial property. We prepared N-(9-Fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)-L-Phenylalanine/nano-hydroxyapatite (Fmoc-L-Phe/nHAP) hybrid supramolecular hydrogels by integrating nHAP as reinforcement with Fmoc-L-Phe supramolecular hydrogels. The results showed that nHAP bounds in the chamber of the gel network and adheres to the fiber of Fmoc-L-Phe due to intermolecular interaction, remarkably improving the mechanical strength of Fmoc-L-Phe supramolecular hydrogels. The results of inhibition zone experiment and MTT experiment showed that the Fmoc-L-Phe/nHAP hybrid supramolecular hydrogels possess antibacterial property and cytocompatibility. In vitro release experiment of chlorogenic acid (CGA) from the hybrid supramolecular hydrogels was performed. The study of the release kinetics indicated that the release behavior of CGA from the hybrid supramolecular hydrogels is following Weibull model and release mechanism involved Fickian diffusion and erosion of the surface of hydrogel matrix. The release of CGA shows a good inhibition effect on S. aureus. The results show that the Fmoc-L-Phe/nHAP hybrid hydrogels with antibacterial property and cytocompatibility have promising applications as drug delivery carrier.