title: Self-assembly and drug release study of linear l,d-oligopeptide-poly(ethylene glycol) conjugates.
abstract: The preparation and structural organisation of new bioinspired nanomaterials based on regular alternating enantiomeric sequence of tetra- and hexapeptides end-linked to poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is reported. The peptide moiety is composed of two or three repeats of l-Ala-d-Val units while the PEG has a molecular weight of 2kDa. The self-assembling properties of the two conjugates depend significantly on the length of the peptide. Nanoparticles with different sizes and morphologies are formed, the structural properties of which are compared with the previously studied l-Ala-d-Val octapeptide conjugate that self-assembles into rod-like nanoparticles. The aggregation properties were studied by NMR, circular dichroism, fluorescence spectroscopies and dynamic light scattering. The morphology and size of the nanoparticles were assessed by scanning electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. The loading and release of a model drug were also investigated. This study demonstrates that, by changing the length of the peptide, it is possible to modulate the self-assembly and loading properties of peptide-PEG conjugates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University, P.le A. Moro, 5-00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Novelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University, P.le A. Moro, 5-00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Santis
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University, P.le A. Moro, 5-00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Pasqualina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Punzi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, CNR, Sapienza University, P.le A. Moro, 5-00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University, P.le A. Moro, 5-00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scipioni
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University, P.le A. Moro, 5-00185 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: giancarlo.masci@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Masci
mesh_terms: D001709:Biotechnology; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D003474:Curcumin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D065546:Drug Liberation; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008970:Molecular Weight; D058726:Nanoconjugates / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D013053:Spectrophotometry
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D058726:Nanoconjugates; D009842:Oligopeptides; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D003474:Curcumin
keywords: Conjugated l,d-peptide-polymer; Drug loading; Linear l,d-peptide; Nanoparticles; Poly(ethylene glycol); Self-assembly; Sustained release