Study summary · research use only
Nanostructure and Collagen-Stimulating Activity of Cationic Pentapeptide Lipopeptides
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This in vitro study examined self-assembly, cytocompatibility, and collagen-stimulating activity of the lipopeptide C16-KTTKS (commercially known as Matrixyl) and a variant, C16-RTTRS, in trifluoroacetate (TFA) and acetate salt forms, using Human Dermal Fibroblasts (HDFa). C16-KTTKS self-assembled into nanotapes across pH 4-7 and micelles at pH 2, with little influence of the counterion, while C16-RTTRS formed mainly spherical micelles as the acetate salt across pH 2-7 but mainly nanotapes as the TFA salt across pH 4-7. Conditions for hydrogel formation by C16-KTTKS were identified. Both lipopeptides showed cytocompatibility with fibroblasts at sufficiently low concentration and were associated with collagen production in HDFa cells at a low concentration of 0.0062 wt%, with no significant effect of the counterion on cell viability or collagen production.
Abstract
The self-assembly in aqueous solutions, cytocompatibility, and collagen production of lipopeptide C16-KTTKS and a variant with arginine substitution for lysine, C16-RTTRS, are investigated. C16-KTTKS is known commercially as Matrixyl and is used in cosmetic formulations as it can stimulate collagen production. The self-assembly and conformations and collagen-stimulating effects of the two lipopeptides in two salt forms, trifluoroacetate (TFA) and acetate, are compared. Lipopeptide C16-KTTKS self-assembles into nanotapes based on a multi-bilayer stacking across a pH range pH 4-7 and micelles at pH 2, with little influence of the counterion. In contrast, C16-RTTRS forms a substantial population of spherical micelles for the acetate salt for pH 2-7, but mainly nanotapes for the TFA salt for pH 4-7. Conditions for hydrogel formation by C16-KTTKS were identified. Both lipopeptides show good cytocompatibility to fibroblasts at sufficiently low concentration. The two lipopeptides also stimulate collagen production in Human Dermal Fibroblasts (HDFa) at low concentration (0.0062 wt%). No significant effect of the counterion was noted on cell viability or collagen production. Our results suggest that the peptide sequence influences the pH-dependent self-assembly properties and that this can be modulated for certain lipopeptides by the nature of the counterions.
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