Collagen mimetic peptides: progress towards functional applications

Traditionally, collagen mimetic peptides (CMPs) have been used for elucidating the structure of the collagen triple helix and the factors responsible for its stabilization. The wealth of fundamental knowledge on collagen structure and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions accumulated over the past few decades has led to a recent burst of research exploring the potential of CMPs to recreate the higher order assembly and biological function of natural collagens for biomedical applications. Although a large portion of such research is still at an early stage, the collagen triple helix has become a promising structural motif for engineering self-assembled, hierarchical constructs similar to natural tissue scaffolds which are expected to exhibit unique or enhanced biological activities. This paper reviews recent progress in the field of collagen mimetic peptides that bears both direct and indirect implications to engineering collagen-like materials for potential biomedical use. Various CMPs and collagen-like proteins that mimic either structural or functional characteristics of natural collagens are discussed with particular emphasis on providing helpful information to bioengineers and biomaterials scientists interested in collagen engineering.