Engineering Self-Assembling Peptide Hydrogel to Enhance the Capacity of Dendritic Cells to Activate In Vivo T‑Cell Immunity

Abstract

The efficacy of the dendritic cell (DC) has failed to meet expectations thus far, and crucial problems such as the immature state of DCs, low targeting efficiency, insufficient number of dendritic cells, and microenvironment are still the current focus. To address these problems, we developed two self-assembling peptides, RLDI and RQDT, that mimic extracellular matrix (ECM). These peptides can be self-assembled into highly ordered three-dimensional nanofiber scaffold structures, where RLDI can form gelation immediately. In addition, we found that RLDI and RQDT enhance the biological function of DCs, including releasing antigens sustainably, adhering to DCs, promoting the maturation of DCs, and increasing the ability of DC antigen presentation. Moreover, peptide hydrogel-based DC treatment significantly achieved prophylactic and treatment effects on colon cancer. These results have certain implications for the design of new broad-spectrum vaccines in the future.