Reported here is the first aqueous ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of N‐carboxyanhydrides (NCAs) using α‐amino‐poly(ethylene oxide) as a macroinitiator to protect the NCA monomers from hydrolysis through spontaneous in situ self‐assembly (ISA). This ROPISA process affords well‐defined amphiphilic diblock copolymers that simultaneously form original needle‐like nanoparticles.
Antimicrobial
peptides (AMPs) are naturally occurring macromolecules
made of amino acids that are potent broad-spectrum antibiotics with
potential as novel therapeutic agents. This review aims to summarize
the fundamental principles concerning the structure and mechanism
of action of these AMPs, in order to guide the design of polymeric
analogues that organic chemistry can generate. Among those simplified
analogues, this review particularly focuses on those made of amino
acids called polypeptide polymers: they are showing great potential
by providing one of the best biomimetic and bioactive structures for
further biomaterials science applications.
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