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Polymers
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Polypeptide Polymers
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Polypeptide Polymers

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2020) | Viewed by 11343

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Colin Bonduelle

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratoire de Chimie des Polymeres Organiques, Univ. Bordeaux/IPB, ENSCBP, 16 avenue Pey Berland, 33607 Pessac Cedex, France
Interests: polypeptide polymers; bio-inspired materials; N-carboxyanhydride; ring-opening polymerization; secondary structuring; stimuli-responsive macromolecules

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I would like to invite you to submit your excellent work in the synthesis, characterization, and application of polypeptide polymers to this Special Issue of Polymers. The challenge of creating synthetic materials with the structural sophistication and complex functions found in biology has been a long-term goal in materials science. The design of synthetic protein analogues by using polymer chemistry is an alternative approach to genetic engineering for materials scientists and compared to other synthetic polymers, polymers made of amino acids may offer several interesting features including (1) imparting chemical functionality by taking advantage of the wide scope of naturally available building blocks; (2) improving biological properties of materials including cell–material interactions (e.g., cell adhesion, migration); (3) improving chemical and enzymatic degradability; and (4) providing metabolizable building units/blocks. In this context, polypeptide polymers are ideal candidates to mimic adaptive biological systems by undergoing structural or conformational changes in response to various external stimuli (temperature, pH, etc.). This Special Issue aims to highlight outstanding work and review articles that will advance the field of polypeptide polymers. All manuscripts reporting their novel synthesis, characterization, and application are welcome.

I look forward to receiving your high-quality manuscript.

Dr. Colin Bonduelle
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • N-carboxyanhydride
  • Ring-opening polymerization
  • Stimuli-responsive, smart, hybrid polymers
  • Secondary structuring
  • Self-assembly, nanomaterials, hydrogels
  • Biomaterials

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2675 KiB  
Article
Amphiphilic Nucleobase-Containing Polypeptide Copolymers—Synthesis and Self-Assembly
by Michel Nguyen, Khalid Ferji, Sébastien Lecommandoux and Colin Bonduelle
Polymers 2020, 12(6), 1357; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12061357 - 16 Jun 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3241
Abstract
Nucleobase-containing polymers are an emerging class of building blocks for the self-assembly of nanoobjects with promising applications in nanomedicine and biology. Here we present a macromolecular engineering approach to design nucleobase-containing polypeptide polymers incorporating thymine that further self-assemble in nanomaterials. Diblock and triblock [...] Read more.
Nucleobase-containing polymers are an emerging class of building blocks for the self-assembly of nanoobjects with promising applications in nanomedicine and biology. Here we present a macromolecular engineering approach to design nucleobase-containing polypeptide polymers incorporating thymine that further self-assemble in nanomaterials. Diblock and triblock copolypeptide polymers were prepared using sequential ring-opening polymerization of γ-Benzyl-l-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride (BLG-NCA) and γ-Propargyl-l-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride (PLG-NCA), followed by an efficient copper(I)-catalyzed azide alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAc) functionalization with thymidine monophosphate. Resulting amphiphilic copolymers were able to spontaneously form nanoobjects in aqueous solutions avoiding a pre-solubilization step with an organic solvent. Upon self-assembly, light scattering measurements and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the impact of the architecture (diblock versus triblock) on the morphology of the resulted nanoassemblies. Interestingly, the nucleobase-containing nanoobjects displayed free thymine units in the shell that were found available for further DNA-binding. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polypeptide Polymers)
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14 pages, 3380 KiB  
Article
Injectable Click Polypeptide Hydrogels via Tetrazine-Norbornene Chemistry for Localized Cisplatin Release
by Zhen Zhang, Chaoliang He and Xuesi Chen
Polymers 2020, 12(4), 884; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12040884 - 10 Apr 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4895
Abstract
Injectable, covalently cross-linked hydrogels have been widely investigated in drug delivery systems due to their superior mechanical properties and long-term stability. Conventional covalently cross-linked hydrogels are formed by chemical reactions that may interfere with natural biochemical processes. In this work, we developed an [...] Read more.
Injectable, covalently cross-linked hydrogels have been widely investigated in drug delivery systems due to their superior mechanical properties and long-term stability. Conventional covalently cross-linked hydrogels are formed by chemical reactions that may interfere with natural biochemical processes. In this work, we developed an injectable polypeptide hydrogel via an inverse electron demand Diels-Alder reaction between norbornene modified poly(L-glutamic acid) (PLG-Norb) and tetrazine functionalized four-arm poly(ethylene glycol) (4aPEG-T) for localized release of cisplatin (CDDP). The rapid and bioorthogonal click reaction allowed for hydrogel formation within a few minutes after mixing the two polymer solutions in phosphate buffer saline (PBS). Dynamic mechanical analysis suggested that the storage modulus of the hydrogel could be readily tuned by changing the polymer concentration and the molar ratio of the two functional groups. The carboxyl groups of PLG-Norb were used to form polymer–metal complexation with CDDP, and the controlled release of the antitumor drug was achieved in PBS. The CDDP-loaded hydrogel displayed an antitumor effect against MCF-7 cells in vitro, through S phase cell cycle arrest. After subcutaneous injection in rats, the hydrogel was rapidly formed in situ and showed good stability in vivo. In an MCF-7-bearing nude mice model, the CDDP-loaded hydrogel exhibited an improved antitumor effect with reduced systemic toxicity. Overall, the injectable click polypeptide hydrogel shows considerable potential as a platform for localized and sustained delivery of antitumor drugs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polypeptide Polymers)
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10 pages, 2881 KiB  
Article
Morphological Transitions of Photoresponsive Vesicles from Amphiphilic Polypeptoid Copolymers for Controlled Release
by Xu Yang, Zhiwei Wang and Jing Sun
Polymers 2020, 12(4), 798; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12040798 - 3 Apr 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2627
Abstract
Photoresponsive polymers have attracted increasing interest for a variety of applications. Here, we report a family of photoresponsive polypeptoid-based copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(N-(S-(o-nitrobenzyl)-thioethyl) glycine)-co-poly(N-(2-phenylethyl) glycine) (PEG-b-PNSN-co-PNPE) synthesized by the controlled ring-opening polymerization (ROP) technique. [...] Read more.
Photoresponsive polymers have attracted increasing interest for a variety of applications. Here, we report a family of photoresponsive polypeptoid-based copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(N-(S-(o-nitrobenzyl)-thioethyl) glycine)-co-poly(N-(2-phenylethyl) glycine) (PEG-b-PNSN-co-PNPE) synthesized by the controlled ring-opening polymerization (ROP) technique. The key feature of the design is to incorporate both o-nitrobenzyl group moiety to offer the photoresponsive property and phenethyl residues to tune the structural and amphiphilic property of the system. We demonstrate that the cleavage degree of the o-nitrobenzyl group can reach to 100% upon UV-irradiation. With delicate design, a photoresponsive vesicle-to-sphere transition has been observed that facilitates the release of the encapsulants. This work provides a facile approach to prepare a type of photoresponsive polymers with tunable properties for drug delivery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polypeptide Polymers)
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