Enzyme-Triggered l-α/d-Peptide Hydrogels as a Long-Acting Injectable Platform for Systemic Delivery of HIV/AIDS Drugs.

ABSTRACT: Eradicating HIV/AIDS by 2030 is a central goal of the World Health Organization. Patient adherence to complicated dosage regimens remains a key barrier. There is a need for convenient long-acting formulations that deliver drugs over sustained periods. This paper presents an alternative platform, an injectable in situ forming hydrogel implant to deliver a model antiretroviral drug (zidovudine [AZT]) over 28 days. The formulation is a self-assembling ultrashort d or l-α peptide hydrogelator, namely phosphorylated (naphthalene-2-ly)-acetyl-diphenylalanine-lysine-tyrosine-OH (NapFFKY[p]-OH), covalently conjugated to zidovudine via an ester linkage. Rheological analysis demonstrates phosphatase enzyme instructed self-assembly, with hydrogels forming within minutes. Small angle neutron scatterin

SUBMITTER: Coulter SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11469249 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature