Self-assembly of peptides to nanostructures

Org Biomol Chem. 2014 Jun 14;12(22):3544-61. doi: 10.1039/c4ob00447g. Epub 2014 Apr 23.

Abstract

The formation of well-ordered nanostructures through self-assembly of diverse organic and inorganic building blocks has drawn much attention owing to their potential applications in biology and chemistry. Among all organic building blocks, peptides are one of the most promising platforms due to their biocompatibility, chemical diversity, and resemblance to proteins. Inspired by the protein assembly in biological systems, various self-assembled peptide structures have been constructed using several amino acids and sequences. This review focuses on this emerging area, the recent advances in peptide self-assembly, and formation of different nanostructures, such as tubular structures, fibers, vesicles, and spherical and rod-coil structures. While different peptide nanostructures have been discovered, potential applications are explored in drug delivery, tissue engineering, wound healing, and surfactants.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Amyloid / chemistry
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nanostructures / chemistry*
  • Nanostructures / ultrastructure
  • Peptides / chemistry*
  • Protein Structure, Secondary

Substances

  • Amyloid
  • Peptides