title: Molecular Precision and Enzymatic Degradation: From Readily to Undegradable Polymeric Micelles by Minor Structural Changes.
abstract: Studying the enzymatic degradation of synthetic polymers is crucial for the design of suitable materials for biomedical applications ranging from advanced drug delivery systems to tissue engineering. One of the key parameters that governs enzymatic activity is the limited accessibility of the enzyme to its substrates that may be collapsed inside hydrophobic domains. PEG-dendron amphiphiles can serve as powerful tools for the study of enzymatic hydrolysis of polymeric amphiphiles due to the monodispersity and symmetry of the hydrophobic dendritic block, which significantly simplifies kinetic analyses. Using these hybrids, we demonstrate how precise, minor changes in the hydrophobic block are manifested into tremendous changes in the stability of the assembled micelles toward enzymatic degradation. The obtained results emphasize the extreme sensitivity of self-assembly and its great importance in regulating the accessibility of enzymes to their substrates. Furthermore, the demonstration that the structural differences between readily degradable and undegradable micelles are rather minor, points to the critical roles that self-assembly and polydispersity play in designing biodegradable materials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel.|Tel-Aviv University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel.
authors.forename: Merav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Segal
authors.affiliation: Tel-Aviv University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel.|School of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel.
authors.forename: Ram
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9580-4989
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Avinery
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel.|Tel-Aviv University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buzhor
authors.affiliation: Tel-Aviv University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel.|Department of Physical Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel.
authors.forename: Rona
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shaharabani
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel.|Tel-Aviv University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel.
authors.forename: Assaf J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Harnoy
authors.affiliation: Tel-Aviv University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel.|Department of Physical Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel.
authors.forename: Einat
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tirosh
authors.affiliation: Tel-Aviv University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel.|School of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel.
authors.forename: Roy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic Chemistry, School of Chemistry, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel.|Tel-Aviv University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel-Aviv University , Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel.
authors.forename: Roey J
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8502-3302
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Amir
mesh_terms: D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004798:Enzymes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008823:Micelles; D008954:Models, Biological; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes; D008823:Micelles; D011108:Polymers