Biological activity of self-assembled peptide hydrogel scaffold RADA-RGD and its experimental study of BMP-2 release in vitro

A novel self-assembled peptide hydrogel scaffold RADA-RGD+BMP-2 was designed and prepared by adding RGD functional motifs to the amino acid sequence of RADA16. Transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to examine the physicochemical properties of hydrogel scaffolds. To analyze the controlled release of BMP-2 when incorporated into RADA-RGD. Cells were cultivated in different extracellular matrix environments, where BMP-2 levels were assessed using ELISA, and cumulative release rates and release profiles were plotted. The biological activity and biosafety of growth factor-loaded polypeptides were evaluated using CCK-8 assay and live/dead staining. ALP staining, alizarin red staining, and quantitative mineralization assays were used to evaluate the contribution of growth factor peptides to in vitro mineralization. The in vivo ability of long-factor polypeptides to promote bone differentiation was evaluated using HE staining, Masson staining, and micro-CT. The results showed that RADA-RGD+BMP-2 was superior in stimulating cell proliferation, adhesion, and bone formation compared to RADA16-RGD. RADA-RGD demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and effective control over the release of BMP-2. These findings offer a potentially effective strategy for using self-assembled peptides to promote osteogenesis and regulate protein release.