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Veronese E, Metrangolo P, Dichiarante V. Engineering Amino Acid and Peptide Supramolecular Architectures through Fluorination. Chemistry 2024:e202400617. [PMID: 38634399 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202400617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Fluorinated non-natural amino acids are attracting considerable research interest, especially in the biomedical field and in materials science, thanks to their ability to self-assemble into peculiar supramolecular structures. The conformational changes induced by the presence of fluorine atoms obviously affect their functions, as well as the biological activity of the deriving peptides and proteins. Here, we will briefly describe the main effects of fluorination on the aggregation behavior of such building blocks, focusing in particular on their improved tendency to form fibrils, and gels therefrom. Our aim is to underline the promising potential of fluorination as a tool to affect the self-assembly features of amino acids, both when used alone and when inserted into polypeptide sequences. The ability of fluorine to influence physical, chemical, and structural properties of these substrates offers the possibility to engineer bioinspired materials with specific and tunable functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Veronese
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, via L. Mancinelli 7, 20131, Milan, Italy
| | - Pierangelo Metrangolo
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, via L. Mancinelli 7, 20131, Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina Dichiarante
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, via L. Mancinelli 7, 20131, Milan, Italy
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2
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Cohen-Gerassi D, Messer O, Finkelstein-Zuta G, Aviv M, Favelukis B, Shacham-Diamand Y, Sokol M, Adler-Abramovich L. Conductive Peptide-Based MXene Hydrogel as a Piezoresistive Sensor. Adv Healthc Mater 2024:e2303632. [PMID: 38536070 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202303632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
Wearable pressure sensors have become increasingly popular for personal healthcare and motion detection applications due to recent advances in materials science and functional nanomaterials. In this study, a novel composite hydrogel is presented as a sensitive piezoresistive sensor that can be utilized for various biomedical applications, such as wearable skin patches and integrated artificial skin that can measure pulse and blood pressure, as well as monitor sound as a self-powered microphone. The hydrogel is composed of self-assembled short peptides containing aromatic, positively- or negatively charged amino acids combined with 2D Ti3C2Tz MXene nanosheets. This material is low-cost, facile, reliable, and scalable for large areas while maintaining high sensitivity, a wide detection range, durability, oxidation stability, and biocompatibility. The bioinspired nanostructure, strong mechanical stability, and ease of functionalization make the assembled peptide-based composite MXene-hydrogel a promising and widely applicable material for use in bio-related wearable electronics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Cohen-Gerassi
- Department of Oral Biology, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Or Messer
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Gal Finkelstein-Zuta
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Moran Aviv
- Department of Oral Biology, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Afeka Tel Aviv Academic College of Engineering, Tel Aviv, 6910717, Israel
| | - Bar Favelukis
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Yosi Shacham-Diamand
- The Scojen Institute for Synthetic Biology, Director, Reichman University, 8 University St., Herzliya, 4610101, Israel
| | - Maxim Sokol
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Lihi Adler-Abramovich
- Department of Oral Biology, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
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3
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Miles SA, Nillama JA, Hunter L. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: The Diverse Roles That Fluorine Can Play within Amino Acid Side Chains. Molecules 2023; 28:6192. [PMID: 37687021 PMCID: PMC10489206 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28176192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Side chain-fluorinated amino acids are useful tools in medicinal chemistry and protein science. In this review, we outline some general strategies for incorporating fluorine atom(s) into amino acid side chains and for elaborating such building blocks into more complex fluorinated peptides and proteins. We then describe the diverse benefits that fluorine can offer when located within amino acid side chains, including enabling 19F NMR and 18F PET imaging applications, enhancing pharmacokinetic properties, controlling molecular conformation, and optimizing target-binding.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Luke Hunter
- School of Chemistry, The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney 2052, Australia
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4
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Kumar V, Ozguney B, Vlachou A, Chen Y, Gazit E, Tamamis P. Peptide Self-Assembled Nanocarriers for Cancer Drug Delivery. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:1857-1871. [PMID: 36812392 PMCID: PMC10848270 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c06751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
The design of novel cancer drug nanocarriers is critical in the framework of cancer therapeutics. Nanomaterials are gaining increased interest as cancer drug delivery systems. Self-assembling peptides constitute an emerging novel class of highly attractive nanomaterials with highly promising applications in drug delivery, as they can be used to facilitate drug release and/or stability while reducing side effects. Here, we provide a perspective on peptide self-assembled nanocarriers for cancer drug delivery and highlight the aspects of metal coordination, structure stabilization, and cyclization, as well as minimalism. We review particular challenges in nanomedicine design criteria and, finally, provide future perspectives on addressing a portion of the challenges via self-assembling peptide systems. We consider that the intrinsic advantages of such systems, along with the increasing progress in computational and experimental approaches for their study and design, could possibly lead to novel classes of single or multicomponent systems incorporating such materials for cancer drug delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijay
Bhooshan Kumar
- The
Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise
Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Busra Ozguney
- Artie
McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3122, United States
| | - Anastasia Vlachou
- Artie
McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3122, United States
| | - Yu Chen
- The
Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise
Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Ehud Gazit
- The
Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise
Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty
of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Sagol
School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Phanourios Tamamis
- Artie
McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3122, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas
A&M University, College
Station, Texas 77843-3003, United States
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5
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Abraham B, Agredo P, Mensah SG, Nilsson BL. Anion Effects on the Supramolecular Self-Assembly of Cationic Phenylalanine Derivatives. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:15494-15505. [PMID: 36473193 PMCID: PMC9776537 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c01394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Supramolecular hydrogels have emerged as a class of promising biomaterials for applications such as drug delivery and tissue engineering. Self-assembling peptides have been well studied for such applications, but low molecular weight (LMW) amino acid-derived gelators have attracted interest as low-cost alternatives with similar emergent properties. Fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl-phenylalanine (Fmoc-Phe) is one such privileged motif often chosen due to its inherent self-assembly potential. Previously, we developed cationic Fmoc-Phe-DAP gelators that assemble into hydrogel networks in aqueous NaCl solutions of sufficient ionic strength. The chloride anions in these solutions screen the cationic charge of the gelators to enable self-assembly to occur. Herein, we report the effects of varying the anions of sodium salts on the gelation potential, nanoscale morphology, and hydrogel viscoelastic properties of Fmoc-Phe-DAP and two of its fluorinated derivatives, Fmoc-3F-Phe-DAP and Fmoc-F5-Phe-DAP. It was observed that both the anion identity and gelator structure had a significant impact on the self-assembly and gelation properties of these derivatives. Changing the anion identity resulted in significant polymorphism of the nanoscale morphology of the assembled states that was dependent on the chemical structure of the gelator. The emergent viscoelastic character of the hydrogel networks was also found to be reliant on the anion identity and gelator structure. These results demonstrate the complex interplay between the gelator and environment that have a profound and often unpredictable impact on both self-assembly properties and emergent viscoelasticity in supramolecular hydrogels formed by LMW compounds. This work also illustrates the current lack of understanding that limits the rational design of potential biomaterials that will be in contact with complex biological fluids and provides motivation for additional research to correlate the chemical structure of LMW gelators with the structure and emergent properties of the resulting supramolecular assemblies as a function of environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany
L. Abraham
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
| | - Pamela Agredo
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
| | - Samantha G. Mensah
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
| | - Bradley L. Nilsson
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
- Materials
Science Program, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0166, United States
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6
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Functional Nanomaterials and Polymer Nanocomposites: Current Uses and Potential Applications. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232112713. [DOI: 10.3390/ijms232112713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
In the present Special Issue “Functional Nanomaterials and Polymer Nanocomposites: Current Uses and Potential Applications”, two review articles and nine original research articles are published [...]
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Short Peptide-Based Smart Thixotropic Hydrogels †. Gels 2022; 8:gels8090569. [PMID: 36135280 PMCID: PMC9498505 DOI: 10.3390/gels8090569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Thixotropy is a fascinating feature present in many gel systems that has garnered a lot of attention in the medical field in recent decades. When shear stress is applied, the gel transforms into sol and immediately returns to its original state when resting. The thixotropic nature of the hydrogel has inspired scientists to entrap and release enzymes, therapeutics, and other substances inside the human body, where the gel acts as a drug reservoir and can sustainably release therapeutics. Furthermore, thixotropic hydrogels have been widely used in various therapeutic applications, including drug delivery, cornea regeneration and osteogenesis, to name a few. Because of their inherent biocompatibility and structural diversity, peptides are at the forefront of cutting-edge research in this context. This review will discuss the rational design and self-assembly of peptide-based thixotropic hydrogels with some representative examples, followed by their biomedical applications.
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Abraham BL, Mensah SG, Gwinnell BR, Nilsson BL. Side-chain halogen effects on self-assembly and hydrogelation of cationic phenylalanine derivatives. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:5999-6008. [PMID: 35920399 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00713d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Low molecular weight (LMW) supramolecular hydrogels have great potential as next-generation biomaterials for drug delivery, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. The design of LMW gelators is complicated by the lack of understanding regarding how the chemical structure of the gelator correlates to self-assembly potential and emergent hydrogel material properties. The fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl-phenylalanine (Fmoc-Phe) motif is a privileged scaffold that is prone to undergo self-assembly into self-supporting hydrogel networks. Cationic Fmoc-Phe-DAP derivatives modified with diaminopropane (DAP) at the C-terminus have been developed that self-assemble into hydrogel networks in aqueous solutions of sufficient ionic strength. We report herein the impact of side-chain halogenation on the self-assembly and hydrogelation properties of Fmoc-Phe-DAP derivatives. A systematic study of the self-assembly and hydrogelation of monohalogenated Fmoc-Phe-DAP derivatives with F, Cl, or Br atoms in the ortho, meta, or para positions of the phenyl side chain reveal significant differences in self-assembly and gelation potential, nanoscale assembly morphology, and hydrogel viscoelastic properties as a function of halogen identity and substitution position. These results demonstrate the profound impact that subtle changes to the chemical scaffold can have on the behavior of LMW supramolecular gelators and illustrate the ongoing difficulty of predicting the emergent self-assembly and hydrogelation behavior of LMW gelators that differ even modestly in chemical structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany L Abraham
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
| | - Samantha G Mensah
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
| | | | - Bradley L Nilsson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
- Materials Science Program, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
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9
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Misra R, Tang Y, Chen Y, Chakraborty P, Netti F, Vijayakanth T, Shimon LJW, Wei G, Adler-Abramovich L. Exploiting Minimalistic Backbone Engineered γ-Phenylalanine for the Formation of Supramolecular Co-Polymer. Macromol Rapid Commun 2022; 43:e2200223. [PMID: 35920234 DOI: 10.1002/marc.202200223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Ordered supramolecular hydrogels assembled by modified aromatic amino acids often exhibit low mechanical rigidity. Aiming to stabilize the hydrogel and understand the impact of conformational freedom and hydrophobicity on the self-assembly process, we designed two building blocks based on 9-fluorenyl-methoxycarbonyl-phenylalanine (Fmoc-Phe) gelator which contain two extra methylene units in the backbone, generating Fmoc-γPhe and Fmoc-(3-hydroxy)-γPhe. Fmoc-γPhe spontaneously assembled in aqueous media forming a hydrogel with exceptional mechanical and thermal stability. Moreover, Fmoc-(3-hydroxy)-γPhe, with an extra backbone hydroxyl group decreasing its hydrophobicity while maintaining some molecular flexibility, self-assembled into a transient fibrillar hydrogel, that later formed microcrystalline aggregates through phase transition. Molecular dynamics simulations and single crystal X-ray analyses revealed the mechanism underlying the two residues' distinct self-assembly behaviors. Finally, we demonstrated Fmoc-γPhe and Fmoc-(3-OH)-γPhe co-assembly to form a supramolecular hydrogel with notable mechanical properties. We believe that the understanding of the structure-assembly relationship will enable the design of new functional amino acid-based hydrogels. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajkumar Misra
- Department of Oral Biology, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, the Center for the Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel.,Dept. of Med. Chem, NIPER Mohali, S.A.S. Nagar (Mohali), 160062, India
| | - Yiming Tang
- Department of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Key Laboratory for Computational Physical Sciences (MOE) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures (Nanjing), Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, P. R. China
| | - Yujie Chen
- Department of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Key Laboratory for Computational Physical Sciences (MOE) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures (Nanjing), Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, P. R. China
| | - Priyadarshi Chakraborty
- Department of Oral Biology, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, the Center for the Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Francesca Netti
- Department of Oral Biology, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, the Center for the Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Thangavel Vijayakanth
- The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research George S. Wise, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Linda J W Shimon
- Department of Chemical Research Support, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Guanghong Wei
- Department of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Key Laboratory for Computational Physical Sciences (MOE) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures (Nanjing), Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, P. R. China
| | - Lihi Adler-Abramovich
- Department of Oral Biology, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, the Center for the Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel
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