Highly Efficient "Grafting From" an α-Helical Polypeptide Backbone by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

• Published in: Macromolecular bioscience 2011-02, Vol.11 (2), p.192-198
• Main Authors: Ding, Jianxun, Xiao, Chunsheng, Tang, Zhaohui, Zhuang, Xiuli, Chen, Xuesi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aminoacid polymers; Applied sciences; atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP); Circular Dichroism; Exact sciences and technology; grafting from; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; N-carboxyanhydride (NCA); Nephelometry and Turbidimetry; Physicochemistry of polymers; Polyglutamic Acid - chemical synthesis; Polyglutamic Acid - chemistry; Polymerization; polypeptide; Protein Structure, Secondary; Sodium Chloride - chemistry; Synthetic biopolymers; Temperature; thermal properties
• ISSN: 1616-5187; 1616-5195
• DOI: 10.1002/mabi.201000238

Because of their favorable biodegradability, biocompatibility, regular secondary structures, and stimuli‐responsiveness, synthetic polypeptides have attracted more and more attention in the biomedical material field. In this work, a novel thermo‐responsive graft polypeptide, poly(L‐glutamate)‐graft‐poly(2‐(2‐methoxyethoxy)ethyl methacrylate) (PLG‐g‐PMEO2MA), is prepared through a combination of ring‐opening polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization. The structure of PLG‐g‐PMEO2MA is confirmed by FT‐IR, 1H NMR, and GPC analyses. The phase transition temperature of PLG‐g‐PMEO2MA is adjustable by varying the NaCl concentration in aqueous solution. PLG‐g‐PMEO2MA adopts α‐helical conformations both in aqueous solution at 25 and 60 °C and even in the solid state. In addition, PLG‐g‐PMEO2MA forms stimuli‐responsive micelles with an α‐helical core and a thermo‐responsive shell in water. A novel thermo‐responsive polypeptide, poly(L‐glutamate)‐ graft‐poly(2‐(2‐methoxyethoxy)ethyl methacrylate) (PLG‐ g‐PMEO2MA), is prepared by the combination of ring opening polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization. PLG‐g‐PMEO2MA adopts α‐helical conformations both in aqueous solution and in the solid state, and can form stimuli‐responsive micelles with an α‐helical core and thermo‐responsive shell in water.