Design of Polysaccharide- b-Elastin-Like Polypeptide Bioconjugates and Their Thermoresponsive Self-Assembly

Biomacromolecules. 2020 Jan 13;21(1):114-125. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.9b01058. Epub 2019 Oct 2.

Abstract

The advantageous biological properties of polysaccharides and precise stimuli-responsiveness of elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are of great interest for the design of polysaccharide- and polypeptide-based amphiphilic block copolymers for biomedical applications. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of a series of polysaccharide-block-ELP copolymers, containing two biocompatible and biodegradable blocks coupled via copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). The resulting bioconjugates are capable of self-assembling into well-defined nanoparticles in aqueous solution upon raising the solution temperature above a specific transition temperature (Tt)-a characteristic of the ELP moiety. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study where polysaccharides were combined with a stimuli-responsive ELP for the preparation of thermosensitive self-assemblies, providing insight into novel pathways for designing bioinspired stimuli-responsive self-assemblies for biomedical applications.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Azides / chemistry
  • Biocompatible Materials / chemical synthesis
  • Biocompatible Materials / chemistry
  • Click Chemistry
  • Copper / chemistry
  • Cycloaddition Reaction
  • Dynamic Light Scattering
  • Elastin / chemistry
  • Hyaluronic Acid / chemistry
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Microscopy, Atomic Force
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Oligosaccharides / chemistry
  • Peptides / chemistry*
  • Polysaccharides / chemistry*
  • Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
  • Temperature
  • Transition Temperature

Substances

  • Azides
  • Biocompatible Materials
  • Oligosaccharides
  • Peptides
  • Polysaccharides
  • laminarihexaose
  • Copper
  • Hyaluronic Acid
  • Elastin