title: Self-assembling surfactant-like peptide A6K as potential delivery system for hydrophobic drugs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Finding a suitable delivery system to improve the water solubility of hydrophobic drugs is a critical challenge in the development of effective formulations. In this study, we used A6K, a self-assembling surfactant-like peptide, as a carrier to encapsulate and deliver hydrophobic pyrene.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pyrene was mixed with A6K by magnetic stirring to form a suspension. Confocal laser scanning microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy, fluorescence, and cell uptake measurements were carried out to study the features and stability of the nanostructures, the state and content of pyrene, as well as the pyrene release profile.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The suspension formed contained pyrene monomers trapped in the hydrophobic cores of the micellar nanofibers formed by A6K, as well as nanosized pyrene crystals wrapped up and stabilized by the nanofibers. The two different encapsulation methods greatly increased the concentration of pyrene in the suspension, and formation of pyrene crystals wrapped up by A6K nanofibers might be the major contributor to this effect. Furthermore, the suspension system could readily release and transfer pyrene into living cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A6K could be further exploited as a promising delivery system for hydrophobic drugs.
authors: Periodical Press, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
authors: Yongzhu
authors: Y
authors: Chen
authors: Core Facility of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
authors: Chengkang
authors: C
authors: Tang
authors: Core Facility of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
authors: Jie
authors: J
authors: Zhang
authors: Laboratory of Endocrinology and Metabolism, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
authors: Meng
authors: M
authors: Gong
authors: Core Facility of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
authors: Bo
authors: B
authors: Su
authors: Laboratory of Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, Translational Neuroscience Centre, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
authors: Feng
authors: F
authors: Qiu
mesh_terms: D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005453:Fluorescence; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry*; D049329:Nanostructures; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants / Q000737:chemistry*; D011721:Pyrenes / Q000737:chemistry; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D009842:Oligopeptides; D011663:Pulmonary Surfactants; D011721:Pyrenes; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; C508692:acetyl-alanyl-alanyl-alanyl-alanyl-alanyl-alanyl-lysine; C030984:pyrene
keywords: drug delivery; micelles; nanofibers; pyrene; self-assembling peptide