Molecular Self-Assembly and Nanochemistry: a Chemical Strategy for the Synthesis of Nanostructures

Whitesides, George M.; Mathias, John P.; Seto, Christopher T.

doi:10.1126/science.1962191

Cited by 3,494 publications

(2,320 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…Molecular self-assembly describes the spontaneous association of molecules under equilibrium conditions into well-defined stable aggregates joined by noncovalent bonds 1 . One of the simplest examples of self-assembly by polymers is demonstrated by linear AB diblock copolymers with a large solubility difference between the two blocks 2,3 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temperature Triggered Self-Assembly of Polypeptides into Multivalent Spherical Micelles

et al. 2007

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We report herein thermally responsive elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) in a linear AB diblock architecture with an N-terminal peptide ligand that self-assemble into spherical micelles when heated slightly above body temperature. A series of 10 ELP block copolymers (ELP BC s) with different molecular weights and hydrophilic-to-hydrophobic block ratios were genetically synthesized by recursive directional ligation. The self-assembly of these polymers from unimers into micelles was investigated by light scattering, fluorescence spectroscopy and cryo-TEM. These ELP BC s undergo two phase transitions as a function of solution temperature: a unimer to spherical micelle transition at an intermediate temperature, and a micelle to bulk aggregate transition at a higher temperature when the hydrophilic-to-hydrophobic block ratio is between 1:2 and 2:1. The critical micelle temperature is controlled by the length of the hydrophobic block and the size of the micelle is controlled by both the total ELP BC length and hydrophilic-to-hydrophobic block ratio. These polypeptide micelles display a critical micelle concentration in the range of 4-8 μM demonstrating high stability of these structures. These studies have also identified a subset of ELP BC s bearing terminal peptide ligands that are capable of forming multivalent spherical micelles that present multiple copies of the ligand on their corona in the clinically relevant temperature range of 37-42 °C and target cancer cells. These ELP BC s may be useful for drug targeting by thermally triggered multivalency. More broadly, the design rules uncovered by this study should be applicable to the design of other thermally reversible nanoparticles for diverse applications in medicine and biology.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temperature Triggered Self-Assembly of Polypeptides into Multivalent Spherical Micelles

et al. 2007

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“…It is possible that a similar reaction with urate was the cause of the Chinese formula illnesses. These patterns are also most likely related to the increased crystal formation at sufficient concentrations in the kidney [22][23][24][25][26] (see Figs. 2 and 3).…”

Section: Chemistry and Toxicologymentioning

confidence: 97%

Melamine Toxicity

2010

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Melamine contamination of infant formula in China and its health effects highlight the safety of the global food supply especially as it relates to formula-fed infants. Melamine is a widely used industrial chemical not considered acutely toxic with a high LD 50 in animals. The data available on acute and chronic human exposure to melamine have been limited and extrapolated from animal data. Pet food contamination in 2004 and 2007 showed stone formation and illness in animals when melamine was co-ingested with cyanuric acid. The recent outbreak in infants showed that melamine ingested in large doses may cause stones and illness without significant ingestion of cyanuric acid or other melamine-related chemicals. This may be due to increased uric acid excretion in infants and formation of melamineuric acid stones. Diagnosis and treatment of infants exposed to melamine requires further study. Clinical signs and symptoms in infants are nonspecific. The stones may be radiolucent and are not consistently seen on ultrasound. The use of alkalinization of the urine for treatment has been proposed, but is of unproven benefit. The FDA and other regulatory agencies have recommended acceptable levels of melamine in foods for consumption. Melamine ingestion has been implicated in stone formation when co-ingested with cyanuric acid, but will cause urinary stones in infants when large amounts of melamine alone are ingested.

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“…Molecular self-assembly is a useful approach for fabricating supramolecular architectures 53 and can be defined as a spontaneous process to form structurally ordered and stable arrangement through a number of non-covalent interactions, such as hydrogen bonds, van der Waals interactions, electrostatic interactions, and hydrophobic interactions 54,55 . Found throughout biology, self-assembly of biomolecules, such as peptides and proteins, to well-defined architectures perform a variety of functions 55 .…”

Section: Molecular Self-assemblymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A good example is the self-assembly of collagen molecules to collagen fibrils, and the collagen fibrils are further packed side-by-side in parallel bundles to form collagen fibers with diameter ranged from 50 to 500 nm 56 . Inspired by nature, several groups have designed and synthesized polypeptides or oligopeptides molecules to selfassemble into nano-fibrous structures under suitable conditions 53,[57][58][59] . The formation of nano-fibers by molecular self-assembly is a "bottom-up" strategy and usually the fiber diameter is much smaller than those produced by using electrospinning 57 .…”

Section: Molecular Self-assemblymentioning

confidence: 99%

Tissue engineering with nano-fibrous scaffolds

2008

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Tissue Engineering is a rapidly evolving field in terms of cell source and scaffold fabrication. As the template for three dimensional tissue growth, the scaffold should emulate the native extracellular matrix, which is nano-fibrous. Currently, there are three basic techniques capable of generating nanofibrous scaffolding: electrospinning, molecular self-assembly, and thermally induced phase separation. These scaffolds can then be further modified by various three dimensional surface modification techniques if necessary to more precisely emulate the native extracellular matrix. However, even without further modification, nano-fibrous scaffolds have been shown to have advantageous effects on cellular behavior and tissue formation when compared to more traditional types of scaffolding. This review focuses on the current state of tissue engineering with nano-fibrous scaffolding with particular emphasis on bone tissue engineering.

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Molecular Self-Assembly and Nanochemistry: a Chemical Strategy for the Synthesis of Nanostructures

Cited by 3,494 publications

References 75 publications

Temperature Triggered Self-Assembly of Polypeptides into Multivalent Spherical Micelles

Temperature Triggered Self-Assembly of Polypeptides into Multivalent Spherical Micelles

Melamine Toxicity

Tissue engineering with nano-fibrous scaffolds

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