The objective of this research was to better understand the association between hydroxyproline and pectic polysaccharides in order to develop a prospective model for a pectin-based drug delivery system capable of site-specific or extended release drug delivery. Pectic polysaccharides are ubiquitous in nature, present in the cell walls of plants, where they are found in cross-linkages with other macromolecules. Cross-linkages between pectin and hydroxyproline-rich proteins, such as elastin, contribute to the structure, elasticity, and porosity of plant cell walls. Linkages between cell wall polypeptides and polysaccharides have previously been studied and used to develop pharmaceutical coatings that delay or prolong the release of medication. Ionic interactions and hydrogen bonding are known to account for the physical stability of the cross-linkages that exist between cell wall polysaccharides and polypeptides. In this research, atomistic-level computational models were constructed with Spartan to develop an archetype of the formation of cross-linkages between hydroxyproline residues and polymers of galacturonic acid, the primary constituent of the homogalacturonan family of pectic polysaccharides. Electrostatic potential maps of hydroxyproline residues of various lengths were generated with Density Functional Theory with the EDF2 6-31G* functional in aqueous media using the Spartan computational suite, and were compared to similarly generated electrostatic potential maps of galacturonic acid polymers to determine the most likely sites of interaction between the molecules.

Computational study of hydroxyproline-pectin cross-linkage for drug delivery

249th National Meeting (2015)

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