Artificial Aquaporin That Restores Wound Healing of Impaired Cells

Abstract

Artificial aquaporins are synthetic molecules that mimic the structure and function of natural aquaporins (AQPs) in cell membranes. The development of artificial aquaporins would provide an alternative strategy for treatment of AQP-related diseases. In this report, an artificial aquaporin has been constructed from an amino-terminated tubular molecule, which operates in a unimolecular mechanism. The artificial channel can work in cell membranes with high water permeability and selectivity rivaling those of AQPs. Importantly, the channel can restore wound healing of the cells that contain function-lost AQPs.

Artificial Water Channels: Towards Biomimetic Membranes for Desalination

“…Because of the simple passive and non‐gating water transport mechanism of AQPs, it was also envisioned that the AWCs might be used to treat the AQP‐related diseases by making the channels work as efficiently and selectively as AQPs in cell membranes. This possibility was firstly tested and achieved very recently by Hou and co‐workers [8] . They have developed AAQP, an artificial AQP, which can work in cell membranes to allow its water permeability to reach that of AQPs with simultaneous ion and proton exclusion (Figure 2 b, c).…”

“…Thin‐film composite membranes (TFCs) are currently implemented in the water desalination industry and around 90 % of used membranes are based on RO/NF technologies [8] . In the early steps, interfacial polymerization (IP) was used to form a TFC thin layer on the support, but this method was not used in industrial fabrication until Cadotte [55] proposed polyamide (PA) composite membranes with an interestingly high flux, which could be prepared by interfacial polymerization of amines and acylchlorides and with varying performances that can be easily reproduced on the laboratory and industrial scales.…”

“…With the development of nanomaterials, thin‐film nanocomposites (TFNs) have been prepared by the physical inclusion of solid nanocrystals into the polyamide layer of a TFC membrane. Several types of zeolites, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) or cellulose nanocrystals have been used to obtain TFNs [8] . By using a modified strategy, distinct nanocrystalline sponge I‐quartet AWCs have been incorporated into the polyamide layer (Figure 16 a).…”

“…This possibility was firstly tested and achieved very recently by Hou and co-workers. [8] They have developed AAQP,a na rtificial AQP,w hich can work in cell membranes to allow its water permeability to reach that of AQPs with simultaneous ion and protone xclusion (Figure 2b,c). The elegant AAQP was constructed from tubularp illararenes, mimicking the key structural features of AQPs, including their positively chargedc hannel entrances, hourglass-like cavity,s ingle water wire file, and small constrictions to generate steric hindrance.…”

“…With the development of nanomaterials, thin-film nanocomposites( TFNs) have been prepared by the physical inclusion of solid nanocrystals into the polyamide layer of aT FC membrane.S everal typeso fz eolites, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) or cellulose nanocrystals have been used to obtain TFNs. [8] By using am odified strategy,d istinct nanocrystalline sponge I-quartet AWCs have been incorporated into the polyamide layer (Figure 16 a). At ypical AWCs incorporation experiment to obtain nanocrystals uniformly disposed in aP Al ayer includes the injection of ac olloidal solution of the I-quartets in aw ater-miscible solvent on the top of the membrane.…”