Synthesis and biological screening of small molecule peptides based on the amino acid sequence of thymosin β4

Small molecule peptides based on the amino sequence of thymosin β4 were prepared using solid-phase synthesis, and their bioactivities were investigated. Small molecule peptides are less than ten amino acids in size so can be produced on a large scale and, after modification, can easily penetrate blood vessels or tissues. We studied the ability of the small molecule peptides to promote wound healing, angiogenesis, and hair growth by examining their effects on the proliferation of human dermal fibroblasts, human umbilical vein endothelial cells, and human dermal papilla cells versus those of thymosin β4, vascular endothelial growth factor, and minoxidil, respectively. Several small molecule peptides promoted significantly more cell proliferation than the corresponding positive controls.