@article { , title = {Peptide hydrogels — a tissue engineering strategy for the prevention of oesophageal strictures}, abstract = {Endoscopic treatment of Barrett’s oesophagus often leads to further damage of healthy tissue causing fibrotic tissue formation termed as strictures. This study shows that synthetic, self-assembling peptide hydrogels (PeptiGelDesign) support the activity and function of primary oesophageal cells, leading to epithelialisation and stratification during in vitro 3D co-culture. Following buffering in culture media, oesophageal stromal fibroblasts (rOSFs) were incorporated into a library of peptide hydrogels, whereas oesophageal epithelial cells (mOECs) were seeded on the surface. Optimal hydrogels (PGD-AlphaProC and PGD-CGD2) supported mOEC viability (>95 \%), typical cell morphology (cobblestone-like), a migration rate of 17.4 μm/hr and a migration distance of 364 μm, at 48 hours. Positive expression of typical epithelial markers (ZO-1 and cytokeratins) was witnessed detected using immunocytochemistry at day 3 in culture. Furthermore, optimal hydrogels were identified which supported rOSF viability (> 95\%) with homogenous distribution when incorporated into the hydrogels and also promoted the secretion of collagen type I detected using ELISA, at day 7. 3D co-culture model using optimal hydrogels for both cell types supported a stratified epithelial layer (expressing involucrin and AE1/AE3 markers). Findings from this study could lead to the use of peptide hydrogels as a minimally invasive endoscopic therapy to manage oesophageal strictures.}, doi = {10.1002/adfm.201702424}, eissn = {1616-3028}, issn = {1616-301X}, issue = {38}, journal = {Advanced Functional Materials}, note = {Checking PDF status with depositor. TJJ 08/09/2017}, publicationstatus = {Published}, publisher = {Wiley}, url = {https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/887606}, volume = {27}, keyword = {Barrett's oesophagus, co-culture model, stiffness, synthetic peptide hydrogels}, year = {2017}, author = {Kumar, Deepak and Workman, Victoria and O'Brien, Marie Claire and McLaren, Jane S. and White, Lisa J. and Ragunath, Krish and Saiani, Alberto and Gough, Julie and Rose, Felicity R.A.J.} }