Polyethylene glycol (PEG), a water-soluble non-ionic polymer, finds diverse applications from Li-ion batteries to drug delivery. The effectiveness of PEG in these contexts hinges on water's behavior at PEG/water interfaces. Employing heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation and Raman spectroscopy along with a novel analytical approach, termed difference spectroscopy with simultaneous curve-fitting analysis, we observed that water exhibits both "hydrogen-up" and "hydrogen-down" orientations at PEG(≥400u)/water interfaces. As the molar mass of PEG increases, the contribution of the strongly hydrogen-bonded and H-up-oriented water rises. We propose that the PEG-affected interfacial water originates from the asymmetrical hydration of the surface-adsorbed PEG, as evidenced by the resemblance between the water spectra in the hydration shell of PEG and those at the PEG/water interface. These findings elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying PEG's catalytic role in water splitting at membrane interfaces.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c03098 | DOI Listing |
Drug Deliv Transl Res
January 2025
Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FI-00014, Finland.
Functionalization of polymer nanoparticles (NPs) with targeting peptides is of interest for drug delivery applications to enhance tumor accumulation and penetration. Herein, we evaluated the feasibility of two different methods for the attachment of a tumor-penetrating peptide LinTT1 (AKRGARSTA) to poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL-PEG) NPs: (1) "post-conjugation" onto pre-formed nanoparticles, and (2) "pre-conjugation", the synthesis and purification of peptide-polymer conjugates and subsequent nanoprecipitation of the conjugates diluted with non-functionalized polymers. Conjugation of the labelled peptide via maleimide-thiol chemistry was verified by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and fluorescence measurements.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics and New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, PR China.
Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are widely used for nucleic acid delivery but face challenges like limited targeting and accelerated blood clearance (ABC) effect. We design three ionizable oligomers (IOs) that, with polylactide-polyethylene glycol (PLA-PEG), form a potential siRNA delivery system, named Ionizable Polymeric Micelles (IPMs). The siRNA encapsulated IPMs escape from lysosomes upon cellular uptake, and silence the target gene.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Colloid Interface Sci
December 2024
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Advanced Civil Materials of Ministry of Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, PR China. Electronic address:
Hyperthermia has emerged as a popular treatment option due to its high efficacy and seamless integration with other therapeutic approaches. To enhance treatment outcomes, hydrogels loaded with photothermal agents and activated by near-infrared (NIR) light for localized tumor therapy have attracted considerable attention. This approach minimizes drug dosage and mitigates the adverse effects of systemic drug delivery on healthy tissues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Colloid Interface Sci
December 2024
School of Basic Medicine, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China. Electronic address:
Targeting the peculiarities of tumor tissue microenvironment different from normal tissue, such as lower pH and overexpression of hydrogen peroxide is the key to effective treatment. In this study, acid-responsive Z-scheme heterojunctions polyglycolated MoS/CoFeO (MoS = molybdenum disulfide, CoFeO = cobalt ferrite) was synthesized using a two-step hydrothermal method, designated as MSCO-PEG, guided by dual modes of photoacoustic imagine (PAI) and nuclear magnetic imaging (MRI). MSCO-PEG (PEG = polyethylene glycol) responded to the acidic environment of tumor tissues and overexpression of hydrogen peroxide to turn on multimodal synergistic treatment of tumor cells under near-infrared-II (NIR-II) illumination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Adv
January 2025
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Particle elasticity has widely been established to substantially influence immune cell clearance and circulation time of vascular-targeted carriers (VTCs). However, prior studies have primarily investigated interactions with macrophages, monocytic cell lines, and in vivo murine models. Interactions between particles and human neutrophils remain largely unexplored, although they represent a critical aspect of VTC performance.
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