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Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2020The utilization of polymer/metal organic framework (MOF) nanocomposites in various biomedical applications has been widely studied due to their unique properties that... (Review)
Review
The utilization of polymer/metal organic framework (MOF) nanocomposites in various biomedical applications has been widely studied due to their unique properties that arise from MOFs or hybrid composite systems. This review focuses on the types of polymer/MOF nanocomposites used in drug delivery and imaging applications. Initially, a comprehensive introduction to the synthesis and structure of MOFs and bio-MOFs is presented. Subsequently, the properties and the performance of polymer/MOF nanocomposites used in these applications are examined, in relation to the approach applied for their synthesis: (i) non-covalent attachment, (ii) covalent attachment, (iii) polymer coordination to metal ions, (iv) MOF encapsulation in polymers, and (v) other strategies. A critical comparison and discussion of the effectiveness of polymer/MOF nanocomposites regarding their synthesis methods and their structural characteristics is presented.
Topics: Biocompatible Materials; Drug Delivery Systems; Hydrogen Bonding; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Metal-Organic Frameworks; Metals; Nanocomposites; Polymerization; Polymers; Static Electricity
PubMed: 31906398
DOI: 10.3390/molecules25010185 -
Chemical Reviews Sep 2021DNA nanotechnology has seen large developments over the last 30 years through the combination of solid phase synthesis and the discovery of DNA nanostructures. Solid... (Review)
Review
DNA nanotechnology has seen large developments over the last 30 years through the combination of solid phase synthesis and the discovery of DNA nanostructures. Solid phase synthesis has facilitated the availability of short DNA sequences and the expansion of the DNA toolbox to increase the chemical functionalities afforded on DNA, which in turn enabled the conception and synthesis of sophisticated and complex 2D and 3D nanostructures. In parallel, polymer science has developed several polymerization approaches to build di- and triblock copolymers bearing hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and amphiphilic properties. By bringing together these two emerging technologies, complementary properties of both materials have been explored; for example, the synthesis of amphiphilic DNA-polymer conjugates has enabled the production of several nanostructures, such as spherical and rod-like micelles. Through both the DNA and polymer parts, stimuli-responsiveness can be instilled. Nanostructures have consequently been developed with responsive structural changes to physical properties, such as pH and temperature, as well as short DNA through competitive complementary binding. These responsive changes have enabled the application of DNA-polymer conjugates in biomedical applications including drug delivery. This review discusses the progress of DNA-polymer conjugates, exploring the synthetic routes and state-of-the-art applications afforded through the combination of nucleic acids and synthetic polymers.
Topics: DNA; Micelles; Nanostructures; Nanotechnology; Polymers
PubMed: 33739829
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01074 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Mar 2022SignificanceThe use of biological enzyme catalysts could have huge ramifications for chemical industries. However, these enzymes are often inactive in nonbiological...
SignificanceThe use of biological enzyme catalysts could have huge ramifications for chemical industries. However, these enzymes are often inactive in nonbiological conditions, such as high temperatures, present in industrial settings. Here, we show that the enzyme PETase (polyethylene terephthalate [PET]), with potential application in plastic recycling, is stabilized at elevated temperature through complexation with random copolymers. We demonstrate this through simulations and experiments on different types of substrates. Our simulations also provide strategies for designing more enzymatically active complexes by altering polymer composition and enzyme charge distribution.
Topics: Hydrolases; Multienzyme Complexes; Plastics; Polyethylene Terephthalates; Polymers; Recycling
PubMed: 35312375
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2119509119 -
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in... Feb 2020Carriers for intracellular delivery are required to overcome limitations of therapeutic agents such as low specificity, systemic toxicity, high clearance rate, and low... (Review)
Review
Carriers for intracellular delivery are required to overcome limitations of therapeutic agents such as low specificity, systemic toxicity, high clearance rate, and low therapeutic index. Nanocontainers comprised of an aqueous core and a polymer shell have received increasing attention because they readily combine stimuli response to improve intracellular payload release and surface modification to enhance selectivity towards the desired region of action. This Minireview summarizes the design and properties of polymer nanocontainers for intracellular delivery, classified according to the polymer architecture.
Topics: Drug Delivery Systems; Humans; Nanoparticles; Polymers
PubMed: 31364243
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201907484 -
Chemistry and Physics of Lipids Mar 2019There is considerable interest in the development of membrane mimetics to study the structure, dynamics and function of membrane proteins. Polymer nanodiscs have been... (Review)
Review
There is considerable interest in the development of membrane mimetics to study the structure, dynamics and function of membrane proteins. Polymer nanodiscs have been useful as a membrane mimetic by not only providing a native-like membrane environment, but also have the ability to extract the desired membrane protein directly from the cell membrane. In spite of such great potential, polymer nanodiscs have their disadvantages including lack of size control and instability at low pH and with divalent metals. In this review, we discuss how these limitations have been overcome by simple modifications of synthetic polymers commonly used to form nanodiscs. Recently, size control has been achieved using an ethanolamine functionalization of a low molecular weight polymer. This size control enabled the use of polymer-based lipid-nanodiscs in solution NMR and macro-nanodiscs in solid-state NMR applications. The introduction of quaternary ammonium functional groups has been shown to improve the stability in the presence of low pH and divalent metal ions, forming highly monodispersed nanodiscs. The polymer charge has been shown to play a significant role on the reconstitution of membrane proteins due to the high charge density on the nanodisc's belt. These recent developments have expanded the applications of polymer nanodiscs to study the membrane proteins using wide variety of techniques including NMR, Cryo-EM and other biophysical techniques.
Topics: Ethanolamine; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Membrane Proteins; Nanostructures; Polymers; Polystyrenes
PubMed: 30707909
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2019.01.010 -
Physiological Research Oct 2018Inflammation is a vital defense mechanism of living organisms. However, persistent and chronic inflammation may lead to severe pathological processes and evolve into... (Review)
Review
Inflammation is a vital defense mechanism of living organisms. However, persistent and chronic inflammation may lead to severe pathological processes and evolve into various chronic inflammatory diseases (CID), e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus or inflammatory bowel diseases, or certain types of cancer. Their current treatment usually does not lead to complete remission. The application of nanotherapeutics may significantly improve CID treatment, since their accumulation in inflamed tissues has been described and is referred to as extravasation through leaky vasculature and subsequent inflammatory cell-mediated sequestration (ELVIS). Among nanotherapeutics, water-soluble polymer-drug conjugates may be highly advantageous in CID treatment due to the possibility of their passive and active targeting to the inflammation site and controlled release of active agents once there. The polymer-drug conjugate consists of a hydrophilic biocompatible polymer backbone along which the drug molecules are covalently attached via a biodegradable linker that enables controlled drug release. Their active targeting or bio-imaging can be achieved by introducing the cell-specific targeting moiety or imaging agents into the polymer conjugate. Here, we review the relationship between polymer conjugates and inflammation, including the benefits of the application of polymer conjugates in inflammation treatment, the anti-inflammatory activity of polymer drug conjugates and potential polymer-promoted inflammation and immunogenicity.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Humans; Inflammation; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Neoplasms; Polymers; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 30379550
DOI: 10.33549/physiolres.933977 -
Accounts of Chemical Research Oct 2022The polymerization of biomolecules is a central operation in biology that connects molecular signals with proliferative and information-rich events in cells. As...
The polymerization of biomolecules is a central operation in biology that connects molecular signals with proliferative and information-rich events in cells. As molecules arrange precisely across 3-D space, they create new functional capabilities such as catalysis and transport highways and exhibit new phase separation phenomena that fuel nonequilibrium dynamics in cells. Hence, the observed polymer chemistry manifests itself as a molecular basis leading to cellular phenotypes, expressed as a multitude of hierarchical structures found in cell biology. Although many milestone discoveries had accompanied the rise of the synthetic polymer era, fundamental studies were realized within a closed, pristine environment and that their behavior in a complex multicomponent system remains challenging and thus unexplored. From this perspective, there is a rich trove of undiscovered knowledge that awaits the polymer science community that can revolutionize understanding in the interactive nanoscale world of the living cell.In this Account, we discuss the strategies that have enabled synthetic polymer chemistry to be conducted within the cells (membrane inclusive) and to establish monomer design principles that offer spatiotemporal control of the polymerization. As reaction considerations such as monomer concentration, polymer growth dynamics, and reactivities are intertwined with the subcellular environment and transport processes, we first provide a chemical narrative of each major cellular compartment. The conditions within each compartment will therefore set the boundaries on the type of polymer chemistry that can be conducted. Both covalent and supramolecular polymerization concepts are explored separately in the context of scaffold design, polymerization mechanism, and activation. To facilitate transport into a localized subcellular space, we show that monomers can be reversibly modified by targeting groups or stimulus-responsive motifs that react within the specific compartment. Upon polymerization, we discuss the characterization of the resultant polymeric structures and how these phase-separated structures would impact biological processes such as cell cycle, metabolism, and apoptosis. As we begin to integrate cellular biochemistry with in situ polymer science, we identify landmark challenges and technological hurdles that, when overcome, would lead to invaluable discoveries in macromolecular therapeutics and biology.
Topics: Catalysis; Macromolecular Substances; Polymerization; Polymers
PubMed: 36178462
DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.2c00420 -
ACS Nano Feb 2022Nanomaterials have emerged as an invaluable tool for the delivery of biomolecules such as DNA and RNA, with various applications in genetic engineering and...
Nanomaterials have emerged as an invaluable tool for the delivery of biomolecules such as DNA and RNA, with various applications in genetic engineering and post-transcriptional genetic manipulation. Alongside this development, there has been an increasing use of polymer-based techniques, such as polyethylenimine (PEI), to electrostatically load polynucleotide cargoes onto nanomaterial carriers. However, there remains a need to assess nanomaterial properties, conjugation conditions, and biocompatibility of these nanomaterial-polymer constructs, particularly for use in plant systems. In this work, we develop mechanisms to optimize DNA loading on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with a library of polymer-SWNT constructs and assess DNA loading ability, polydispersity, and both chemical and colloidal stability. Counterintuitively, we demonstrate that polymer hydrolysis from nanomaterial surfaces can occur depending on polymer properties and attachment chemistries, and we describe mitigation strategies against construct degradation. Given the growing interest in delivery applications in plant systems, we also assess the stress response of plants to polymer-based nanomaterials and provide recommendations for future design of nanomaterial-based polynucleotide delivery strategies.
Topics: DNA; Nanotubes, Carbon; Polyethyleneimine; Polymers; RNA
PubMed: 34935350
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c06343 -
Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2020Film-forming sprays offer many advantages compared to conventional topical preparations because they can provide uniform drug distribution and dose, increased... (Review)
Review
Film-forming sprays offer many advantages compared to conventional topical preparations because they can provide uniform drug distribution and dose, increased bioavailability, lower incidence of irritation, continuous drug release, and accelerated wound healing through moisture control. Film-forming sprays consist of polymers and excipients that improve the characteristics of preparations and enhance the stability of active substances. Each type of polymer and excipient will produce films with different features. Therefore, the various types of polymers and excipients and their evaluation standards need to be examined for the development of a more optimal form of film-forming spray. The selected literature included research on polymers as film-forming matrices and the application of these sprays for medical purposes or for potential medical use. This article discusses the types and concentrations of polymers and excipients, sprayer types, evaluations, and critical parameters in determining the sprayability and film characteristics. The review concludes that both natural and synthetic polymers that have in situ film or viscoelastic properties can be used to optimise topical drug delivery.
Topics: Administration, Topical; Animals; Drug Delivery Systems; Humans; Polymers
PubMed: 32884234
DOI: 10.2147/DDDT.S256666 -
International Journal of Molecular... Oct 2022In the present Special Issue "Functional Nanomaterials and Polymer Nanocomposites: Current Uses and Potential Applications", two review articles and nine original...
In the present Special Issue "Functional Nanomaterials and Polymer Nanocomposites: Current Uses and Potential Applications", two review articles and nine original research articles are published [...].
Topics: Polymers; Nanocomposites
PubMed: 36361503
DOI: 10.3390/ijms232112713