Surfactant-like peptides are a class of amphiphilic macromolecules, which are able to self-assemble in water forming different supramolecular structures. Among them, octapeptides composed of six hydrophobic and two hydrophilic residues have attracted interest since they have a length similar to those of natural phospholipids. Supramolecular structures of different amphiphilic octapeptides have been widely reported, but no study has been performed aimed at investigating the effect of PEGylation on their self-assembling behaviour. The aim of the present work was to synthesize and characterise the self-assembling behaviour of PEGylated alanine- or valine based amphiphilic octapeptides (mPEG-DDAAAAAA and mPEG-DDVVVVVV) in comparison to the non-PEGylated ones (DDAAAAAA and DDVVVVVV). The self-aggregation process in ultrapure water was investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy, small angle neutron scattering (SANS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), while the secondary structure was assessed by circular dichroism. PEGylation markedly affects the self-assembling behaviour of these amphiphilic octapeptides in terms of both critical aggregation concentration (CAC) and shape of the formed supramolecular aggregates. Indeed, PEGylation increases CAC and prevents the self-aggregation into fibrillary supramolecular aggregates (as observed for non-PEGylated peptides), by promoting the formation of micelle-like structures (as demonstrated for valine-based octapeptide). On the other side, the secondary structure of peptides seems not to be affected by PEGylation. Overall, these results suggest that self-assembling behaviour of amphiphilic octapeptides can be modified by PEGylation, with a great potential impact for the future applications of these nanomaterials.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2019.118752 | DOI Listing |
Nanomaterials (Basel)
January 2025
Renewable Energy Laboratory, National Laboratory Astana, Nazarbayev University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan.
Zwitterionic polymers have garnered significant attention for their distinctive properties, such as biocompatibility, antifouling capabilities, and resistance to protein adsorption, making them promising candidates for a wide range of applications, including drug delivery, oil production inhibitors, and water purification membranes. This study reports the synthesis and characterization of zwitterionic monomers and polymers through the modification of linear, vinyl, and aromatic heterocyclic functional groups via reaction with 1,3-propanesultone. Four zwitterionic polymers with varying molecular structures-ranging from linear to five and six membered ring systems-were synthesized: poly(sulfobetaine methacrylamide) (pSBMAm), poly(sulfobetaine-1-vinylimidazole) (pSB1VI), poly(sulfobetaine-2-vinylpyridine) (pSB2VP), and poly(sulfobetaine-4-vinylpyridine) (pSB4VP).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanoscale
January 2025
Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Mohali, Sector-81, Knowledge City, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab 140306, India.
In this study, we demonstrate a unique and promising approach to access peptide-based diverse nanostructures in a single gelator regime that is capable of exhibiting different surface topographies and variable physical properties, which, in turn, can effectively mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) and regulate variable cellular responses. These diverse nanostructures represent different energy states in the free energy landscape, which have been created through different self-assembling pathways by providing variable energy inputs by simply altering the gelation induction temperature from 40 °C to 90 °C. The highly entangled network structure with long fibers was created by higher energy inputs, , inducing the gelation at a higher temperature in the 70-90 °C range, whereas the less entangled nanoscale network with short fibers was obtained at a lower gelation induction temperature of 40-60 °C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc
December 2024
Anhembi Morumbi University (UAM), Rodovia Dr Altino Bondensan 500, São José dos Campos 12247-016, SP, Brazil; Center of Innovation, Technology and Education (CITE), Rodovia Dr Altino Bondensan 500, São José dos Campos 12247-016, SP, Brazil. Electronic address:
The inherent potential for self-assembly is a well-known attribute of organic dye molecules. This work takes advantage of the changes in dye photochemical and photophysical properties produced by the aggregation phenomenon, to investigate the behavior of all-optical modulation in molecular aggregates. The theoretical principles for a dual beam all-optical modulation, as well as the conception of an optical logic gate by exploring the aggregation phenomenon are discussed throughout the article.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
College of Materials Science and Technology; Key Laboratory of Material Preparation and Protection for Harsh Environment; Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 211100, China.
With the development of nanotechnology, nano-functional units of different dimensions, morphologies, and sizes exhibit the potential for efficient microwave absorption (MA) performance. However, the multi-unit coupling enhancement mechanism triggered by the alignment and orientation of nano-functional units has been neglected, hindering the further development of microwave absorbing materials (MAMs). In this paper, two typical ZIF-derived nanomaterials are self-assembled into two-dimensional ordered polyhedral superstructures by the simple ice template method.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMethods Mol Biol
January 2025
Department of Medical Physiology, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX, USA.
The ability to add bioactivities, such as cell signaling or ligand recognition, to biomaterials has generated the potential to include multiple bioactivities into a single material. In some cases, it is desirable to localize these activities to different areas of the biomaterial, creating functional patterns. While photolithography and 3D printing have been effective techniques for patterning functions in many materials, patterning remains a challenge in materials composed of protein, in part due to how these materials are artificially assembled.
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