A peptidic hydrogel that may behave as a “Trojan Horse”

A physical hydrogel prepared with the low-molecular-weight hydrogelator (LMWHG) CH2(C3H6CO-L-Phe-D-Oxd-OH)2 and water/ethanol mixture was applied as a potential "Trojan Horse" carrier into cells. By SEM and XRD analysis we could demonstrate that a fibrous structure is present in the xerogel, making a complex network. The gelator is derived from α-amino acids (Thr, Phe) and a fatty acid (azelaic acid) and is biocompatible: it was dosed to IGROV-1 cells, which internalized it, without significantly affecting the cell proliferation. To check the internalization process by confocal microscopy, fluorescent hydrogels were prepared, introducing the fluorescent dansyl moiety into the mixture.