Institut Charles Sadron Event

Hydrogels are 3D networks of fibers that retain large amounts of water when swollen. Due to their biocompatibility, they are increasingly used for drug delivery. To develop antibacterial peptide-based hydrogels, this dissertation presents two studies based on the use of a fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc)-protected phosphorylated tripeptide that can self-assemble into a hydrogel. In the first study, different preparation conditions (pH, salt, presence of polysaccharide) were investigated to obtain a self-healing and antibacterial hydrogel capable of releasing an antibiotic, florfenicol. In the second study, a solid-phase peptide and phosphoramidite synthesis strategies were combined to add florfenicol to the Fmoc-protected tyrosine phosphate via a phosphodiester, which can be cleaved by nucleases produced by bacteria. Encouraging results showed the formation of the targeted compound, paving the way for the design of a self-defensive antibacterial peptide. Keywords: Fmoc-FF, peptide-based hydrogels, electrostatic assemblies, antibacterial hydrogels, drug delivery matrices