Amphotericin B-conjugated polypeptide hydrogels as a novel innovative strategy for fungal infections

The present work is focused on design and development of novel Amphotericin B-conjugated biocompatible and biodegradable poly-peptide hydrogels to improve the antifungal activity. Using three kinds of promoting self-assembly groups (2-naphthalene acetic acid, Naproxen and Dexamethasone) and poly-peptide sequence (Phe-Phe-Asp-Lys-Tyr, FFDKY), we successfully synthesized the Nap-FFDK (AmB) Y gels, Npx-FFDK (AmB) Y gels and Dex-FFDK (AmB) Y gels. The Amphotericin B-conjugated hydrogelators are highly soluble in different aqueous solutions. The Cryo-transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs of hydrogels afford nanofibers with width of 20~50 nm. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analyses demonstrate that the crystalline structure of the AmB and Dex are changed into amorphous structure after formation of hydrogels. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra of the solution of blank carriers and the corresponding drug deliveries further help elucidate the mol...