Guojuan Pu,1,2 Zhen Liang,1,2 Jieran Shi,2 Yuan Tao,1,2 Ping Lu,1,2 Huiling Qing,1,2 Junjie Zhang1,2 

1Henan Eye Hospital, Henan Eye Institute, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou, 450003, People’s Republic of China; 2People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450003, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Junjie Zhang, Henan Eye Hospital, Henan Eye Institute, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, and People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Number 7 Weiwu Road, Zhengzhou, 450003, People’s Republic of China, Email zhangjunjie@zzu.edu.cn

Background: Corneal neovascularization (CNV) is a common eye disease that leads to blindness. New treatment strategies are urgently needed due to the limitations of current treatment methods.
Methods: We report the synthesis of peptide Nap-FFEEPCAIWF (Comp.3) via chemical conjugation of Nap-FFEE (Comp.2) to antiangiogenic peptide PCAIWF (Comp.1). Comp.3 self-assembled into a hydrogel (gel of 3) composed of nanofibers, which enhanced the antiangiogenic function of the epitope.
Results: We developed a novel peptide with an amphiphilic framework, Comp.3, which could self-assemble into a supramolecular hydrogel with a well-ordered nanofiber structure. The nanofibers exhibited good biocompatibility with corneal epithelial cells, presenting a promising strategy to enhance the efficacy of free peptide–based drugs in the treatment of ocular vascular diseases, such as CNV and other angiogenesis-related diseases.
Conclusion: Nap-FFEEPCAIWF nanofibers provide an alternative approach to enhancing the therapeutic efficiency of free peptide–based drugs against ocular vascular diseases.

Keywords: antiangiogenic peptide, self-assembled, hydrogel, nanofiber, corneal neovascularization