Compartmentalized Intracellular Click Chemistry with Biodegradable Polymersomes

Polymersome nanoreactors that can be employed as artificial organelles have gained much interest over the past decades. Such systems often include biological catalysts (i.e., enzymes) so that they can undertake chemical reactions in cellulo. Examples of nanoreactor artificial organelles that acquire...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Macromolecular rapid communications. 2023-08, Vol.44 (16), p.e2200904-n/a
Main Authors: Oerlemans, Roy A. J. F., Shao, Jingxin, Huisman, Sander G. A. M., Li, Yudong, Abdelmohsen, Loai K. E. A., van Hest, Jan C. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alkynes
artificial organelles
Biocompatibility
Biodegradability
Biodegradation
Catalysts
Cells (biology)
Chemical reactions
Chemical synthesis
click chemistry
Copper
Cycloaddition
intracellular catalysis
metal catalysis
Organelles
polymersomes
Toxicity
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Summary:Polymersome nanoreactors that can be employed as artificial organelles have gained much interest over the past decades. Such systems often include biological catalysts (i.e., enzymes) so that they can undertake chemical reactions in cellulo. Examples of nanoreactor artificial organelles that acquire metal catalysts in their structure are limited, and their application in living cells remains fairly restricted. In part, this shortfall is due to difficulties associated with constructing systems that maintain their stability in vitro, let alone the toxicity they impose on cells. This study demonstrates a biodegradable and biocompatible polymersome nanoreactor platform, which can be applied as an artificial organelle in living cells. The ability of the artificial organelles to covalently and non‐covalently incorporate tris(triazolylmethyl)amine‐Cu(I) complexes in their membrane is shown. Such artificial organelles are capable of effectively catalyzing a copper‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition intracellularly, without compromising the cells’ integrity. The platform represents a step forward in the application of polymersome‐based nanoreactors as artificial organelles. A polymersome nanoreactor is developed, which is modified with a copper catalyst in its membrane. The reactor is efficiently taken up by cells and shows intracellular activity by catalyzing an azide‐alkyne cycloaddition reaction in the protective membrane environment. The biodegradable nature of this artificial organelle opens up perspectives for its usage in therapeutic applications.
ISSN:1022-1336
1521-3927
DOI:10.1002/marc.202200904