title: Single chain morphology and nanofiber-like aggregates of branched β-(1 → 3)-D-glucan in water/dimethylsulfoxide solution.
abstract: A polysaccharide coded as PR-CA was extracted from Polyporus rhinoceros and determined to be a β-(1 → 3)-D-glucan with multiple branches. The weight-average molecular weights (Mw) of PR-CA in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and in water were determined with static light scattering (SLS) to be 3.57 × 10(5) and 1.79 × 10(7), indicating existence of the single chains in DMSO and co-existence of single chains and aggregates in water. Moreover, the stiffness of single chains of PR-CA in water was directly visualized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The hollow structure of PR-CA nanofibers with width of 30-40 nm and length of ∼ 350 nm formed in the water/DMSO (9:1, v:v) was demonstrated by a fluorescent probe tetraphenylethylene (TPE) via aggregation-induced emission (AIE). The formation of PR-CA nanofibers was ascribed to the parallel aggregation of the extended PR-CA chains due to the hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction. This work offered valuable results for promising applications of natural branched β-glucans in the biological fields of drug inclusion, delivery and disease diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
authors.forename: Cong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
authors.forename: Wenhua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
authors.forename: Chuanjun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China. Electronic address: xuxj@whu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiaojuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China. Electronic address: zhangln@whu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D005936:Glucans / Q000737:chemistry*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005936:Glucans; D004121:Dimethyl Sulfoxide
keywords: Branched polysaccharide; Chain stiffness; Hollow structure; Nanofibers; Self-assembly