Covalently Assembled Dipeptide Nanoparticles with Adjustable Fluorescence Emission for Multicolor Bioimaging

Xia

et al. 2021

Small

Fluorescent nanomaterials have exhibited promising applications in biomedical and tissue engineering fields. To improve the properties and expand bioapplications of fluorescent nanomaterials, various functionalization and biomodification strategies have been utilized to engineer the structure and function of fluorescent nanomaterials. Due to their high biocompatibility, satisfied bioactivity, unique biomimetic function, easy structural tailoring, and controlled self‐assembly ability, supramolecular peptides are widely used as versatile modification agents and nanoscale building blocks for engineering fluorescent nanomaterials. In this work, recent advance in the synthesis, structure, function, and biomedical applications of peptide‐engineered fluorescent nanomaterials is presented. Firstly, the types of different fluorescent nanomaterials are introduced. Then, potential strategies for the preparation of peptide‐engineered fluorescent nanomaterials via templated synthesis, bioinspired conjugation, and peptide assembly‐assisted synthesis are discussed. After that, the unique structure and functions through the peptide conjugation with fluorescent nanomaterials are demonstrated. Finally, the biomedical applications of peptide‐engineered fluorescent nanomaterials in bioimaging, disease diagnostics and therapy, drug delivery, tissue engineering, antimicrobial test, and biosensing are presented and discussed in detail. It is helpful for readers to understand the peptide‐based conjugation and bioinspired synthesis of fluorescent nanomaterials, and to design and synthesize novel hybrid bionanomaterials with special structures and improved functions for advanced applications.

Section: Biomedical Applications Of Peptide‐engineered Fluorescent Nanomaterialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peptide‐Engineered Fluorescent Nanomaterials: Structure Design, Function Tailoring, and Biomedical Applications

Xia

et al. 2021

Small

“…Because of the chemical diversity of peptides, they are exploited as adjustment factors in constructing supramolecular nanodrugs . A number of peptide‐modulated nanodrugs are used for antitumor therapy . Phototherapy involves two main factors: light and phototherapeutic agents.…”

Section: Supramolecular Nanodrugs Based On Self‐assembling Peptidesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peptide‐Based Supramolecular Nanodrugs as a New Generation of Therapeutic Toolboxes against Cancer

Chang

Zou

Xing

et al. 2019

Advanced Therapeutics

Self Cite

Peptides are an important class of biomaterials that are widely used in the biomedical field due to their biocompatibility, bioavailability, and structural diversity. They self-assemble into a variety of architectures by weak intermolecular interactions such as π-effects, van der Waals forces, ionic attraction, the hydrophobic effect, and hydrogen bonding, resulting in many advantages in cancer treatment. Self-assembling peptide nanostructures perform two functions: they act as nanocarriers to deliver drugs to tumor sites, and they regulate drug properties, for example, enhancing drug stability, improving the optical properties of photosensitizers, and increasing the immune response. This review focuses on peptide-based supramolecular nanodrugs or nanocarriers for different cancer treatment modalities, such as chemotherapy, phototherapy, and immunotherapy. In particular, peptides with special bioactive properties, such as tumor targeting, microenvironmental responsiveness, and antigenicity, will be highlighted for their utility in the effort to conquer cancer.

“…However, these approaches usually produce redundant structures as a single peptide chain is used to fold into a fluorescent nanostructure, which restricts the conformation and functionality of the labeled target. Recently, dipeptides have been found to selfassemble into fluorescent nanostructures, such as the phenylalanine–phenylalanine (FF) dipeptide, whose emission can be modulated by both the morphology and size of the assembled structures as well as by covalent cross‐linking . Some inorganic ions such as Zn 2+ can also coassemble with tryptophan‐containing peptides such as the phenylalanine–tryptophan (FW) and cyclic tryptophan–tryptophan (cWW) dipeptides .…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Generating Cyan Fluorescence with De Novo Tripeptides: An In Vitro Mutation Study on the Role of Single Amino Acid Residues and Their Sequence

et al. 2019

Amino acids are natural choices as building blocks when developing biofunctional entities owing to their superior diversity and versatile physicochemical properties compared to nucleotide bases. A simple permutation of the amino acids creates a broad palette of proteins and these have been successfully engineered into useful biofunctional agents. For example, the intrinsic ultraviolet fluorescence of phenylalanine and tryptophan has been engineered to emit in the visible spectrum, which has broad applications for imaging/sensing probes, photothermal therapy agents, optogenetic switches, etc. Nature produces more colorful coats/furs, feathers/hairs, and eyes through various biochemical modifications of tyrosine‐based pigmentation. However, it is challenging to modulate the fluorescence wavelength from the UV to the visible region through oligopeptides. Herein, we report an innovative approach to obtain cyan fluorescence by using de novo tripeptides containing glycine, tyrosine, and lysine, which form robust dimer structures under moderate oxidizing conditions. Through an in vitro mutation approach, we deduce that both the amino acids and their sequence play significant roles in modulating the fluorescence. We believe this work holds great promise for developing novel cell imaging and resonance energy‐transfer‐based fluorescent probes.