Highly efficient "grafting from" an α-helical polypeptide backbone by atom transfer radical polymerization.
Because of their favorable biodegradability, biocompatibility, regular secondary structures, and stimuli-responsiveness, synthetic polypeptides have attracted more and more attention in the biomedical material field. In this work, a novel thermo-responsive graft polypeptide, poly(L-glutamate)-graft-poly(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl methacrylate) (PLG-g-PMEO₂ MA), is prepared through a combination of ring-opening polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization. The structure of PLG-g-PMEO₂ MA is confirmed by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, and GPC analyses. The phase transition temperature of PLG-g-PMEO₂ MA is adjustable by varying the NaCl concentration in aqueous solution. PLG-g-PMEO₂ MA adopts α-helical conformations both in aqueous solution at 25 and 60 °C and even in the solid state. In addition, PLG-g-PMEO₂ MA forms stimuli-responsive micelles with an α-helical core and a thermo-responsive shell in water.
Key Laboratory of Polymer Ecomaterials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, P. R. China.
Jianxun
J
Ding
Chunsheng
C
Xiao
Zhaohui
Z
Tang
Xiuli
X
Zhuang
Xuesi
X
Chen
D002942:Circular Dichroism; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D009391:Nephelometry and Turbidimetry; D011099:Polyglutamic Acid / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D058105:Polymerization; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature
D011099:Polyglutamic Acid; D012965:Sodium Chloride