Inclusion of DNA into Organic Gelator Fibers Made of Amphipathic Molecules and Its Controlled Release

Abstract

When methyl 4,6-O-(p-nitrobenzylidene)-alpha-D-glucopyranoside (p-NO(2)Glu) was dissolved in water, p-NO(2)Glu molecules self-assembled to form a fiber (elemental fiber), and as a result, the solution became a partially transparent gel. When an equal (or more) amount of DNA was added to the gel, a white and crystalline gel was obtained. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy coupled with TEM and confocal microscopy suggested that DNA was included in the gel fibers made of p-NO(2)Glu molecules. The results imply that p-NO(2)Glu molecules are self-assembled to form an elemental fiber and these elemental fibers and DNA are twisted together to form higher hierarchic fibers. When the complexed gel made of plasmid DNA (pDNA) and p-NO(2)Glu was added to E. coli T7 S30 extract solution, the pDNA had less expression ability compared with naked one. When we added methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (MbetaCyD), the expression rate was recovered with increasing added amount of MbetaCyD. The present paper shows inclusion and controlled release of DNA from a novel supporting material of DNA and that technology could play an important role in the development of localized approaches to gene therapy.

Polyacrylonitrile and Carbon Nanofibers with Controllable Nanoporous Structures by Electrospinning

“…On the other hand, fibrous materials have filled many needs in many areas due to their intrinsically high surfaces, inter‐fiber pores and engineering versatility 9–11. In concept, coupling nanoporosity in the ultra‐fine nanofibers should lead to the highest possible specific surface and fibrous materials.…”

Soft Optical Devices from Self‐Healing Gels Formed by Oil and Sugar‐Based Organogelators

“…[3b, 4] However, there are only limited examples of harvesting function from these novel materials. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] Exploration of novel functions from these soft materials continues to be a challenging and exciting task. Herein we report two supergelators that can congeal oils and hydrocarbon solvents to give strong, self-supporting, and highly transparent gels with self-healing properties.…”

Sensor Development Using Existing Scaffolds

“…In particular, supramolecular gels, which is one type of intelligent hydrogel, that are held together by noncovalent bonds and are sensitive to external stimuli such as heat, light, pH, and chemicals, have the potential for use as biodegradable materials in drug delivery systems and chemical sensors [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44]. Therefore, the design and preparation of novel hydrogels, especially those stimuli-responsive hydrogels, are challenges for the fields of material science and medicine.…”