Poly(<scp>l</scp>-proline)-Stabilized Polypeptide Nanostructures via Ring-Opening Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly (ROPISA)
Ernesto Tinajero‐Díaz, Nicola Judge, Bo Li, Thomas Leigh, Robert D. Murphy, Paul D. Topham, Matthew J. Derry, Andreas Heise
Abstract
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Poly(proline) II helical motifs located at the protein–water interface stabilize the three-dimensional structures of natural proteins. Reported here is the first example of synthetic biomimetic poly(proline)-stabilized polypeptide nanostructures obtained by a straightforward ring-opening polymerization-induced self-assembly (ROPISA) process through consecutive N -carboxyanhydride (NCA) polymerization. It was found that the use of multifunctional 8-arm initiators is critical for the formation of nanoparticles. Worm-like micelles as well as spherical morphologies were obtained as confirmed by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The loading of the nanostructures with dyes is demonstrated. This fast and open-vessel procedure gives access to amino acids-based nanomaterials with potential for applications in nanomedicine.