Small-Angle X-ray Scattering Investigations of Biomolecular Confinement, Loading, and Release from Liquid-Crystalline Nanochannel Assemblies.
This Perspective explores the recent progress made by means of small-angle scattering methods in structural studies of phase transitions in amphiphilic liquid-crystalline systems with nanochannel architectures and outlines some future directions in the area of hierarchically organized and stimuli-responsive nanochanneled assemblies involving biomolecules. Time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering investigations using synchrotron radiation enable monitoring of the structural dynamics, the modulation of the nanochannel hydration, as well as the key changes in the soft matter liquid-crystalline organization upon stimuli-induced phase transitions. They permit establishing of the inner nanostructure transformation kinetics and determination of the precise sizes of the hydrophobic membraneous compartments and the aqueous channel diameters in self-assembled network architectures. Time-resolved structural studies accelerate novel biomedical, pharmaceutical, and nanotechnology applications of nanochannel soft materials by providing better control of DNA, peptide and protein nanoconfinement, and release from diverse stimuli-responsive nanocarrier systems.
†CNRS UMR8612 Physico-chimie-Pharmacotechnie-Biopharmacie, Univ Paris Sud 11, Châtenay-Malabry, F-92296 France.
Angelina
A
Angelova
‡Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 16206 Prague, Czech Republic.
Borislav
B
Angelov
§Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Centre for Materials and Coastal Research, 21502 Geesthacht, Germany.
Vasil M
VM
Garamus
†CNRS UMR8612 Physico-chimie-Pharmacotechnie-Biopharmacie, Univ Paris Sud 11, Châtenay-Malabry, F-92296 France.
Patrick
P
Couvreur
†CNRS UMR8612 Physico-chimie-Pharmacotechnie-Biopharmacie, Univ Paris Sud 11, Châtenay-Malabry, F-92296 France.
Sylviane
S
Lesieur