Kingshuk Basu

Peptide based hydrogels for cancer drug release: modulation of stiffness, drug release and proteolytic stability of hydrogels by incorporating D-amino acid residue(s)

Synthetic tripeptide based noncytotoxic hydrogelators have been discovered for releasing an anticancer drug at physiological pH and temparature. Interestingly, gel stiffness, drug release capacity and proteolytic stability of these hydrogels have been successfully modulated by incorporating d-amino acid residues, indicating their potential use for drug delivery in the future.

A Dipeptide-based Superhydrogel: Removal of Toxic Dyes and Heavy Metal Ions from Waste-water.

A short peptide‐based molecule has been found to form a strong hydrogel at phosphate buffer solution of pH 7.46. The hydrogel has been characterized thoroughly using various techniques including field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM), wide angle powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD), and rheological analysis. It has been observed from FE‐SEM images that entangled nanofiber network is responsible for gelation. Rheological investigation demonstrates that the self‐assembly of this synthetic dipeptide results in the formation of mechanically strong hydrogel with storage modulus (G′) around 104 Pa. This gel has been used for removing both cationic and anionic toxic organic dyes (Brilliant Blue, Congo red, Malachite Green, Rhodamine B) and metal ions (Co2+ and Ni2+) from waste water. Moreover, only a small amount of the gelator is required (less than 1 mg/mL) for preparation of this superhydrogel and even this hydrogel can be reused three times for dye/metal ion absorption. This signifies the importance of the hydrogel towards waste water management.

Peptide-based ambidextrous bifunctional gelator: applications in oil spill recovery and removal of toxic organic dyes for waste water management

A low molecular weight peptide-based ambidextrous gelator molecule has been discovered for efficient control of water pollution. The gelator molecules can gel various organic solvents with diverse polarity, e.g. n-hexane, n-octane, petroleum ether, petrol, diesel, aromatic solvents like chlorobenzene, toluene, benzene, o-xylene and even aqueous phosphate buffer of pH 7.5. These gels have been thoroughly characterized using various techniques including field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction analysis, small angle X-ray scattering and rheological experiments. Interestingly, hydrogel obtained from the gelator molecule has been found to absorb toxic organic dyes (both cationic and anionic dyes) from dye-contaminated water. The gelator molecule can be reused for several cycles, indicating its possible future use in waste water management. Moreover, this gelator can selectively gel petrol, diesel, pump oil from an oil–water mixture in the presence of a carrier solvent, ethyl acetate, suggesting its efficient application for oil spill recovery. These results indicate that the peptide-based ambidextrous gelator produces soft materials (gels) with dual function: (i) removal of toxic organic dyes in waste water treatment and (ii) oil spill recovery.