Search results for "Amphiphile"

Mannose-Decorated Multicomponent Supramolecular Polymers Trigger Effective Uptake into Antigen-Presenting Cells

2018

A modular route to prepare functional self-assembling dendritic peptide amphiphiles decorated with mannosides, to effectively target antigen-presenting cells, such as macrophages, is reported. The monomeric building blocks were equipped with tetra(ethylene glycol)s (TEGs) or labeled with a Cy3 fluorescent probe. Experiments on the uptake of the multifunctional supramolecular particles into murine macrophages (Mφs) were monitored by confocal microscopy and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Mannose-decorated supramolecular polymers trigger a significantly higher cellular uptake and distribution, relative to TEG carrying bare polymers. No cytotoxicity or negative impact on cytokine producti…

Self-assembly of janus dendrimers into uniform dendrimersomes and other complex architectures

2010

Janus Drug Delivery Vehicle Efficient drug delivery vehicles need to be produced in a limited size range and with uniform size distribution. The self-assembly of traditional small-molecule and polymeric amphiphiles has led to the production of micelles, liposomes, polymeric micelles, and polymersomes for use in drug delivery applications. Now, Percec et al. (p. 1009 ) describe the self-assembly of Janus-type (i.e., two-headed) dendrimers to produce monodisperse supramolecular constructs, termed “dendrimersomes,” and other complex architectures. The structures, which showed long-term stability as well as very narrow size distributions, were easily produced by the injection of an ethanolic so…

Polymorphism control of an active pharmaceutical ingredient beneath calixarene-based Langmuir monolayers.

2014

This communication demonstrates the possibility to nucleate and grow different crystalline polymorphic forms of gabapentin (GBP) using, as nucleation templates, Langmuir monolayers of an amphiphilic calixarene at different packing densities.

Cationic Nanohydrogel Particles as Potential siRNA Carriers for Cellular Delivery

2012

Oligonucleotides such as short, double-stranded RNA (siRNA) or plasmid DNA (pDNA) promise high potential in gene therapy. For pharmaceutical application, however, adequate drug carriers are required. Among various concepts progressing in the market or final development, nanosized hydrogel particles may serve as novel transport media especially for siRNA. In this work, a new concept of synthesizing polymeric cationic nanohydrogels was developed, which offers a promising strategy to complex and transport siRNA into cells. For this purpose, amphiphilic reactive ester block copolymers were synthesized by RAFT polymerization of pentafluorophenyl methacrylate as reactive ester monomer together wi…

Nano-demixing as a novel strategy for magnetic field responsive systems: the case of dibutyl phosphate/bis(2-ethylhexyl)amine systems

2016

Pure surfactant liquids and their binary mixtures, owing to the amphiphilic nature of the molecules involved, can exhibit nano-segregation and peculiar transport properties. The possibility of opportunely choosing the amphiphiles should lead to the formation of anisotropic aggregates that can be oriented by an external factor like a magnetic field. In this case some properties, like optical birefringence, can be induced by the use of a magnetic field. Dynamic features of dibutyl phosphate (DBP)/bis(2-ethylhexyl)amine (BEEA) mixtures have been investigated by FT-IR, NMR, rheometry, Brillouin scattering, and magnetically-induced birefringence measurements as a function of the BEEA mole fracti…

Self-assembly of amphiphilic calixarenes and resorcinarenes in water

2010

The calixarenes and resorcinarenes are macrocyclic phenolic molecules that can be modified “a facon” and a wide range of chemical modification strategies have been published over the last 30 years. Because of their remarkable structural properties and their relative ease of chemical modification, they represent excellent and highly versatile bases to design complex building blocks capable of self-assembly and molecular recognition. They have been widely studied for their ability to form supramolecular structures targeting a wide range of applications. The possibility to regio(rim)-selectively modify these macrocycles with different polar and apolar moieties provides synthetic chemists with …

ChemInform Abstract: Self-Assembly of Amphiphilic Calixarenes and Resorcinarenes in Water

2011

The calixarenes and resorcinarenes are macrocyclic phenolic molecules that can be modified “a facon” and a wide range of chemical modification strategies have been published over the last 30 years. Because of their remarkable structural properties and their relative ease of chemical modification, they represent excellent and highly versatile bases to design complex building blocks capable of self-assembly and molecular recognition. They have been widely studied for their ability to form supramolecular structures targeting a wide range of applications. The possibility to regio(rim)-selectively modify these macrocycles with different polar and apolar moieties provides synthetic chemists with …

Mobile supported monolayers of ionic amphiphiles: variation of domain morphology via preadsorbed polyelectrolytes

1992

Membrane Insertion of the Heptameric Staphylococcal α-Toxin Pore

2001

Abstract Staphylococcal α-toxin forms heptameric pores on eukaryotic cells. After binding to the cell membrane in its monomeric form, the toxin first assembles into a heptameric pre-pore. Subsequently, the pre-pore transforms into the final pore by membrane insertion of an amphipathic β-barrel, which comprises the “central loop” domains of all heptamer subunits. The process of membrane insertion was analyzed here using a set of functionally altered toxin mutants. The results show that insertion may be initiated within an individual protomer when its NH2 terminus activates its central loop. The activated state is then shared with the central loops of the residual heptamer subunits, which res…

Synthesis of Functional Block Copolymers Carrying One Poly(p-phenylenevinylene) and One Nonconjugated Block in a Facile One-Pot Procedure

2016

Block copolymers composed of a MEH–PPV block and a nonconjugated functional block (molecular weights between 5 and 90 kg/mol) were synthesized in a facile one-pot procedure via ROMP. This one-pot procedure permits the synthesis of numerous block copolymers with little effort. Amphiphilic block copolymers were obtained via incorporation of oxanorbornene carrying a PEG side chain as well as via postpolymerization modification of a reactive ester carrying norbornene derivative with methoxypoly(ethylene glycol)amine. These amphiphilic block copolymers can be self-assembled into micelles exhibiting different sizes (60–95 nm), morphologies (micelles or fused, caterpillar-like micelles), and optic…