Compositions and methods for promoting hemostasis and other physiological activities

A method for inhibiting the flow of a bodily fluid from a surgical incision or wound site on or in an animal, comprising:

• applying a composition comprising self-assembling peptides to an exposed surface of a surgical incision or wound site on or in the animal,
• wherein the self-assembling peptides consist of a sequence of from 8 to 16 amino acid residues conforming to one or more of Formulas I-IV:
• ((Xaaneu-Xaa+)x(Xaaneu-Xaa−)y)n (I)
• ((Xaaneu-Xaa−)x(Xaaneu-Xaa+)y)n (II)
• ((Xaa+-Xaaneu)x(Xaa−-Xaaneu)y)n (III)
• ((Xaa−-Xaaneu)x(Xaa+-Xaaneu)y)n (IV)
• wherein Xaaneu represents alanine or leucine;
• Xaa+ represents arginine or lysine;
• Xaa− represents aspartic acid or glutamic acid;
• x and y are integers having a value of 1 or 2, or 4, independently;
• and n is an integer having a value of 1-4,
• wherein the composition is a solution or a solid,
• wherein the concentration of self-assembling peptides in the solution is between 1.0% weight to volume and 4.0% weight to volume, inclusive,
• wherein the composition has a concentration of ions less than 5 mM and
• wherein the self-assembling peptides are in a concentration effective to form a macroscopic structure upon contacting a concentration of ions greater than 5 mM at the surgical incision or wound site that prevents passage of the bodily fluid from the surgical incision or wound site through the structure.