Protein-derived Smart Materials for Medical Applications: Elastin-like Polypeptides

Rui Lin; Shanshan Wang; Wentian Liu

doi:10.2174/1381612824666180903122432

Protein-derived Smart Materials for Medical Applications: Elastin-like Polypeptides

Curr Pharm Des. 2018;24(26):3008-3013. doi: 10.2174/1381612824666180903122432.

Authors

Rui Lin¹, Shanshan Wang², Wentian Liu¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tianjin Medical University, General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China.
² School of Biological Science and Engineering, Shanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong 723001, China.

PMID: 30179124
DOI: 10.2174/1381612824666180903122432

Abstract

A group of stimulus-responsive biopolymers developed from the hydrophobic domain of tropoelastin is collectively known as elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs). These peptides generally consist of repeated pentapeptide units of the form (VPGXG)n, where X can be any amino acid with the exception of proline. ELPs present wide-ranging possibilities in biomedicine due to their many beneficial characteristics, including tunable phase transition behavior and biological compatibility, along with the absence of immunogenic and pyrogenic characteristics. The present paper reviews the physicochemical characteristics of ELPs and outlines a range of applications in biotechnology and medicine.

Keywords: Elastin-like polypeptides; drug delivery; endoscopic submucosal injection solution; inverse temperature phase transition; protein purification; tissue engineering..

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Biomedical Research*
Biotechnology*
Elastin* / chemistry
Elastin* / metabolism
Humans
Peptides* / chemistry
Peptides* / metabolism

Substances

Peptides
Elastin