The use of a novel elastic nanofiber network to encapsulate dental pulp cells by self-assembly and interaction with cells through biological moieties were described. The properties of this network can easily tailored by employing various kinds of adhesive ligands, MMP-sensitive sequences and divalent ions. The nanofiber growth induced by divalent ions was investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and circular dichroism (CD). The incorporation of an MMP-2 specific peptide sequence in the nanofiber results in cells-mediated proteolysis degradation of the network, enabling cell migration through the matrix and eventual remodeling of the matrix with natural ECM.
