There is an emerging need for the development of new biomaterials that will be used as platforms in the delivery of therapeutic cargoes. For this purpose, different types of polymers have been developed as biodegradable and biocompatible materials. One such class of materials are the synthetic polypeptides. They are built from amino acids, which makes them bio-derived, biodegradable and biocompatible. Synthetic polypeptides contain the structural motifs of natural proteins such as α-helical, β-sheet, as well as random coil elements. These polymers are capable of self-assembly, which ensures their stability. Synthetic polypeptide structures are synthesized via Ring Opening Polymerisation (ROP) of amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides (NCA). ROP permits obtaining high yield polypeptides with improved properties and with well-defined structures. The objective of this study was to synthetize and characterize star-shaped polypeptides consisting of different generations 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid (bis-MPA) dendritic cores and linear polypeptide chains attached to the core. A series of well-defined star-shaped polypeptides were successfully obtained by ring-opening polymerisation of ε-carbobenzyloxy-L-lysine(ZLL) NCA, initiated by ammonium salts groups of bisMPA dendrimers. Polypeptides with different numbers of arms, in which the number of amino units per arm were 5 and 10, were synthesized by varying dendrimer generation and adjusting the monomer feed ratio of ZLL NCA. The reactions were monitored by FT-IR spectroscopy, until completion. The structure and composition of synthesized polypeptides were examined by 1H and 13C NMR analyses, while their molar mass and molecular weight distribution were determined by gel-permeation chromatography (GPC).

Design and synthesis of functional star-shaped polypeptides as (nano)medical devices for therapeutics delivery

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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