Polymersome Nanoreactors for Enzymatic Ring-Opening Polymerization

Abstract

Polystyrene-polyisocyanopeptide (PS-PIAT) polymersomes containing CALB in two different locations, one in the aqueous inner compartment and one in the bilayer, were investigated for enzymatic ring-opening polymerization of lactones in water. It is shown that the monomers 8-octanolactone and dodecalactone yield oligomers with this polymersome system. It is also observed that the polymerization activity is dependent on the position of the enzyme in the polymersome. SEM investigations show that the polymersome structures were destabilized during the polymerization. Further investigations show that the vesicular morphology of the polymersomes was destabilized only in the case of polymer product formation.

Enzymatic Catalysis at Interfaces—Heterophase Systems as Substrates for Enzymatic Action

“…These data are in agreement with the molecular weights of polyesters obtained from the ROP of PDL synthesized in dispersion [59][60][61]. In contrast, the molecular weights observed by Taden et al are extraordinarily high being, more than 200,000 g mol…”

Self‐Assembled Block Copolymer Aggregates: From Micelles to Vesicles and their Biological Applications

“…PS-poly(L-isocyanoalanine(2-thiophen-3-yl-ethyl)amide) (PS-PIAT) copolymer vesicles have also been exploited as nano-reactors ( Figure 7). [136,141] Multi-step cascade reactions have been reported using three enzymes: exterior candida antartica lipase B (CALB), membrane-bound horseradish peroxidase (HRP), and encapsulated glucose oxidase (GOX) (Figure 7). [136] CALB was also encapsulated within both the membrane and inner volume of PS-PIAT vesicles in order to catalyze the ring-opening polymerization of lactones.…”

“…[136] CALB was also encapsulated within both the membrane and inner volume of PS-PIAT vesicles in order to catalyze the ring-opening polymerization of lactones. [141] Biotin-avidin conjugation has been utilized in order to study the cell adhesion (and hence cell targeting) of polymer vesicles. The excellent adhesive properties of biotin-functionalized vesicles to avidin beads were attributed to the surface availability of the biotin molecules, and vesicles with 'pendent' biotin units exhibited stronger adhesion.…”

Hybrid, Nanoscale Phospholipid/Block Copolymer Vesicles

“…Since the initial work by the groups of Discher and Eisenberg [1,2], sophisticated polymersome designs have been explored involving degradable or non-degradable systems [3], or those that are responsive towards external stimuli [4]. Potential applications of polymersomes include delivery of drugs [5] and other bioactive substances such as siRNA [6] and antibodies [7], and they have been used as carriers for probes in bioimaging [8,9] or for biocatalysts in the form of nanoreactors [10,11]. In general, the polymersome membrane displays enhanced stability as compared to liposomes [8,12] and they can, hence, more readily be modified.…”