Self-assembly of a ibuprofen-peptide conjugate to suppress ocular inflammation

We have designed and synthesized a hydrogelator composed of ibuprofen (IPF) and GFFY peptide via a cleavable ester bond linkage. The proposed supramolecular hydrogel exhibits an enhanced anti-inflammatory activity in in RAW264.7 macrophage and displays comparable therapeutic efficacy with clinically used sodium diclofenac (DIC) eyedrops to suppress the ocular inflammation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced uveitis. This work, for the first time, illustrates an effective approach for developing supramolecular assemblies as anti-inflammatory ophthalmic therapeutics for treating eye disorders.134