The formation of polymer vesicles or "peptosomes" by polybutadiene-block-poly(L-glutamate)s in dilute aqueous solution.
Polybutadiene-block-poly(L-glutamate) copolymers were made by anionic polymerization and subsequent ring-opening polymerization of N-carboxyanhydrides and were characterized by NMR, IR, SEC, and circular dichroism. These polymers, when appropriately designed, form so-called "polymersomes" or "peptosomes", vesicles composed of modified protein units. The size and structure of the vesicles are determined by dynamic light scattering, small-angle neutron scattering, and freeze-fracture electron microscopy. It is also shown that the size of the peptosomes does not depend on the pH; that is, the solvating peptide units can perform a helix-coil transition without serious changes of the vesicle morphology.
Kukula
Hildegard
H
Max-Planck-Institut für Kolloid- und Grenzflächenforschung, Abteilung Kolloidchemie, Am Mühlenberg 1, D-14476 Golm, Germany.
Schlaad
Helmut
H
Antonietti
Markus
M
Förster
Stephan
S
D002070:Butadienes / Q000737:chemistry*; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D020724:Elastomers; D005614:Freeze Fracturing; D008027:Light; D009502:Neutrons; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012996:Solutions; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
D002070:Butadienes; D020724:Elastomers; D010455:Peptides; D011108:Polymers; D012996:Solutions; D014867:Water; C097188:polyglutamine; C028834:polybutadiene