Protein Enables Conformation Transition of a Hydrogel Based on Pentapeptide and Boosts Immune Response in Vivo

We report a supramolecular hydrogel based on dihistidine containing pentapeptides serving as a novel vaccine delivery system. Protein encapsulated into the hydrogel not only enhances the mechanical property up to 15-fold but also changes the conformation of the resulting nanostructure from a beta-sheet to an alpha-helix. The resulting hybrid hydrogel enhances antigen uptake and moderately promotes dendritic cell (DC) maturation in vitro. More importantly, the pentapeptide hydrogel promotes antigen specific antibody production in vivo and splenocyte proliferation ex vivo.