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Nanoscale engineering of wound beds
Chemistry World ^ | 12 April 2012 | Alisa Becker

Posted on 04/12/2012 8:07:54 PM PDT by neverdem

A collagen-binding peptide with applications in wound healing has been developed by scientists in the US. The peptide is able to invade the strands of collagen, forming a strong and stable non-covalent bond at room temperature. Pendant drug molecules could be attached to the peptide and anchored at the wound site to aid wound healing.

Representation of a collagen mimetic peptide (CMP) annealing to damaged collagen to anchor a molecule (X) in a wound bed
Representation of a collagen mimetic peptide (CMP) annealing to damaged collagen to anchor a molecule (X) in a wound bed
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and makes up three quarters of the dry weight of skin. It is formed from three helical polypeptide strands containing the common amino acid motif proline-hydroxyproline-glycine. The collagen-binding peptide made by Ronald Raines at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and colleagues mimics a short section of a collagen strand, but the team substituted the proline and hydroxyprolines with fluoroproline. The fluoroproline-modified peptide binds strongly to collagen's triple helical structure, and the team found that it binds to animal collagen longer than non-modified peptides.       

Even though these peptides bind very strongly to collagen, they do not bind to each other. They exist as single strands looking for a partner. In a wound, single strands find the most partners in the areas where the collagen is most exposed and frayed. Although the peptides are simply following the laws of thermodynamics, elegantly, this is where they are needed most.

Raines' team is starting to apply their work to some practical problems in biomedicine, such as attaching dyes to the peptide for wound assessment. 'I really like this project because it extends truly from a quantum mechanical understanding of a complex biological molecule to a practical application that we think could help lots of people day to day,' says Raines.

'The use of annealing collagen mimetic peptides represents a significant advance over prior methods of collagen modification, which typically relied on covalent modification,' says Gregg Fields, an expert in synthetic protein design and construction at the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, US. 'This creative approach is sufficiently flexible to allow for selective therapeutic intervention, which could greatly facilitate the healing process in a variety of difficult to treat wounds.'

In the future, Raines' team plans to use the collagen-binding peptide to anchor drug molecules to the frayed collagen at wound sites. The peptide may be useful for the treatment of painful wounds, such as burns, because it can decrease the number of repeat applications required. 

 

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References

S Chattopadhyay et alOrg. Biomol. Chem., 2012, DOI:  10.1039/c2ob25190f

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TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Technical
KEYWORDS: aspirin; collagen; healing; healingwounds; medicine; woundbeds; wounds

1 posted on 04/12/2012 8:08:01 PM PDT by neverdem
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To: neverdem

Oh! Awesome Sh*t designed by the same stupid a** h#les who invented lyme, autism, asthma,ms,fibro etc.
WOW! Great nooze!

What are these ill educated buttholes gonna come up with next?
We have more poison vaccines (Thanks Obozo!) than we can shake a stick at!!!

Drove by a Walgreens next to Hospital today... electric sign welcomed all to come get “Shingles Vaccine”? Are people freakin’ crazy or what?
There are very few “wonder” drugs!
The more crap you allow them to inject into your body... the sicker you will become!

God had a “plan”... this was not it.

Population Control......
Anyone??? Ferris? Anyone?


2 posted on 04/12/2012 8:22:40 PM PDT by acapesket
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To: acapesket

Sorry for the rant! This stuff DOES make me wonder about the ability of my fellow human beings to actually think for themselves
Is logic a lost art?


3 posted on 04/12/2012 8:27:04 PM PDT by acapesket
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To: El Gato; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Robert A. Cook, PE; lepton; LadyDoc; jb6; tiamat; PGalt; Dianna; ...
Why Today's Indonesia Quake Didn't Make a Monster Tsunami

Rapidly spotting major earthquakes using GPS

Nanomachines could benefit from superlubricity

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Found In Four Million-Year-Old Cave

FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.

4 posted on 04/12/2012 9:07:48 PM PDT by neverdem (Xin loi minh oi)
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To: acapesket

Shingles is very painful and, if it attacks in the eye, can cause decrease of vision or even blindness. A shingles vaccine is a good thing.

These investigations into the mechanics of healing will speed healing and reduce scarring. Scarring is not just a cosmetic problem, but can decrease function if it forms around an active muscle and ongoing pain if it forms around a nerve.

I think your rant is misplaced. Perhaps one day you or someone you care about will require one of these interventions. By then, you and your physicians will likely take them for granted. These are simply, IMO, awesome investigations/developments that will make life better for most of us.


5 posted on 04/13/2012 6:05:52 AM PDT by reformedliberal
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