Double hydrophilic block copolymers with switchable secondary structure as additives for crystallization control

Double hydrophilic block copolymers self-assemblies in biomedical applications

Double-hydrophilic block copolymers (DHBCs), consisting of at least two different water-soluble blocks, are an alternative to the classical amphiphilic block copolymers and have gained increasing attention in the field of biomedical applications. Although the chemical nature of the two blocks can be diverse, most classical DHBCs consist of a bioeliminable non-ionic block to promote solubilization in water, like poly(ethylene glycol), and a second block that is more generally a pH-responsive block capable of interacting with another ionic polymer or substrate. This second block is generally non-degradable and the presence of side chain functional groups raises the question of its fate and toxicity, which is a limitation in the frame of biomedical applications. In this review, following a first part dedicated to recent examples of non-degradable DHBCs, we focus on the DHBCs that combine a biocompatible and bioeliminable non-ionic block with a degradable functional block including polysaccharides, polypeptides, polyesters and other miscellaneous polymers. Their use to design efficient drug delivery systems for various biomedical applications through stimuli-dependent self-assembly is discussed along with the current challenges and future perspectives for this class of copolymers.

Amino Acid and Oligopeptide Effects on Calcium Carbonate Solutions

Biological organisms display sophisticated control of nucleation and crystallization of minerals. In order to mimic living systems, deciphering the mechanisms by which organic molecules control the formation of mineral phases from solution is a key step. We have used computer simulations to investigate the effects of the amino acids arginine, aspartic acid, and glycine on species that form in solutions of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) at lower and higher levels of supersaturation. This provides net positive, negative, and neutral additives. In addition, we have prepared simulations containing hexapeptides of the amino acids to consider the effect of additive size on the solution species. We find that additives have limited impact on the formation of extended, liquid-like CaCO₃ networks in supersaturated solutions. Additives control the amount of (bi)carbonate in solution, but more importantly, they are able to stabilize these networks on the time scales of the simulations. This is achieved by coordinating the networks and assembled additive clusters in solutions. The association leads to subtle changes in the coordination of CaCO₃ and reduced mobility of the cations. We find that the number of solute association sites and the size and topology of the additives are more important than their net charge. Our results help to understand why polymer additives are so effective at stabilizing dense liquid CaCO₃ phases.

Formation of calcium phosphate nanostructures under the influence of self-assembling hybrid elastin-like-statherin recombinamers

The self-assembly properties of elastin-like-statherin recombinamers have great influence on calcium phosphate mineralization.

Double hydrophilic polyphosphoester containing copolymers as efficient templating agents for calcium carbonate microparticles

The use of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) microparticles is becoming more and more attractive in many fields especially in biomedical applications in which the fine tuning of the size, morphology and crystalline form of the CaCO₃ particles is crucial. Although some structuring compounds, like hyaluronic acid, give satisfying results, the control of the particle structure still has to be improved. To this end, we evaluated the CaCO₃ structuring capacity of novel well-defined double hydrophilic block copolymers composed of poly(ethylene oxide) and a polyphosphoester segment with an affinity for calcium like poly(phosphotriester)s bearing pendent carboxylic acids or poly(phosphodiester)s with a negatively charged oxygen atom on each repeating monomer unit. These copolymers were synthesized by a combination of organocatalyzed ring opening polymerization, thiol-yne click chemistry and protection/deprotection methods. The formulation of CaCO₃ particles was then performed in the presence of these block copolymers (i) by the classical chemical pathway involving CaCl₂ and Na₂CO₃ and (ii) by a process based on supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) technology in which CO₃ ^2- ions are generated in aqueous media and react with Ca²⁺ ions. Porous CaCO₃ microspheres composed of vaterite nanocrystals were obtained. Moreover, a clear dependence of the particle size on the structure of the templating agent was emphasized. In this work, we show that the use of the supercritical process and the substitution of hyaluronic acid for a carboxylic acid containing copolymer decreases the size of the CaCO₃ particles by a factor of 6 (∼1.5 μm) while preventing their aggregation.

Calcite nucleation on the surface of PNIPAM–PAAc micelles studied by time resolved in situ PXRD

Nanocrystalline calcite is formed under the influence of block copolymers containing thermoresponsive PNIPAM and a mineralization controlling block of poly(acrylic acid) and the nanocrystal formation kinetics studied by in situ X-ray diffraction.

Polymer-controlled crystallization of unique mineral superstructures

The origin of complex superstructures of biomaterials in biological systems and the amazing self-assembly mechanisms of their emergence have attracted a great deal of attention recently. Mimicking nature, diverse kinds of hydrophilic polymers with different functionalities and organic insoluble matrices have been designed for the morphogenesis of inorganic crystals. In this Research News, emerging new strategies for morphogenesis and controlled crystal growth of minerals, that is, selective adsorption and mesoscale transformation for highly ordered superstructures, the combination of a synthetic hydrophilic polymer with an insoluble matrix, a substrate, or the air/solution interface, and controlled crystallization in a mixed solvent are highlighted. It is shown that these new strategies can be even further extended to morphogenesis and controlled crystallization of diverse inorganic or inorganic-organic hybrid materials with structural complexity, structural specialties, and improved functionalities.

Enantioselective separation using chiral mesoporous spherical silica prepared by templating of chiral block copolymers

In this work, we synthesized chiral mesoporous silica (CMS) spheres, which can be used as a potential candidate for chiral separation. The CMS spheres with controllable pore sizes (of 2-3 nm) and high surface areas of ca. 614 m(2) g(-1) were synthesized by chiral templating with chiral block copolymers based on poly(ethylene oxide) and dl-glutamic acid [PEO(113)-b-(GluA)(10)]. The ordered structure of the chiral mesopores was characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and the average pore diameters of chiral mesopores were estimated from the nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements. The enantioselectivity properties and chiral resolution kinetics of the mesopores of silica spheres, after extraction of chiral polymers of PEO(113)-b-(l/d-GluA)(10), were scrutinized using a racemic solution of valine and measuring the circular dichroism and optical polarimetery. A chiral selectivity factor of 5.22 was found with a specific enantiomer of valine adsorbed preferably. These results raise the new possibilities of CMS spheres for enantiomeric separation and other enantioselective applications.

Synthesis and characterisation of a new pH-sensitive amphotericin B--poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(L-lysine) conjugate

This paper reports on the synthesis, characterisation, and efficiency of a new intravenous conjugate of amphotericin B (AMB). Twelve molecules of AMB were attached to block copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(L-lysine) via pH-sensitive imine linkages. In vitro drug release studies demonstrated the conjugate (M(w)=26,700) to be relatively stable in human plasma and in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4, 37 degrees C). Controlled release of AMB was observed in acidic phosphate buffer (pH 5.5, 37 degrees C) with the half-life of 2 min. The LD(50) value determined in vivo (mouse) is 45 mg/kg.

Aggregation of water-soluble block copolymers in aqueous solutions: recent trends

This review summarizes recent literature and some of our own results on aggregation behavior on water-soluble block copolymers belonging to three different classes viz. hydrophilic-hydrophobic (AB, ABA and BAB) block copolymers, double hydrophilic block copolymers (DHBCs) and ABC triblock copolymers. In the case of amphiphilic copolymers, special attention has been focussed on aggregation of poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) triblock copolymers (Pluronics) and their aggregation in aqueous solutions at different temperatures as well as in the presence of various additives. Recent studies based on modern techniques viz. scattering (static and dynamic light scattering and small angle neutron scattering), spectral methods, e.g., fluorescence (static and time resolved), nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies, thermal methods e.g., differential scanning calorimetry and isothermal titration calorimetry, cryotransmission electron microscopy, ultrasonic absorption along with general physical properties like surface tension, viscosity and dye solubilization are summarized. For the DHBCs where one of the blocks is usually a polyion, complex formation by adding oppositely charged ions induces the formation of nanoaggregates. Characterization of such nanoaggregates of polyion complexes of DHBCs and their potential use for incorporation of ionic solutes in the micellar core are reviewed. The formation and characteristics of core-shell-corona micelles of ABC triblock copolymers and their applications as vehicles for controlled drug release are also discussed.

Complexes of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(L-glutamate) and diminazene

Nanoparticles with a mean hydrodynamic radius of 16 nm and low polydispersity (P.I. = 0.1) were spontaneously formed by the complexation of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(L-glutamate) (PEO-b-PLGlu) with diminazene. Only one of two possible binding sites of each diminazene molecule was involved in complexation. As determined by UV-vis difference spectra measurements, the complex binding constant is on the order of 1-2 x 10(4) M(-1). Circular dichroism measurements showed that the highly water-soluble diminazene can induce and stabilize the alpha-helical secondary structure of a PLGlu block.

Conformation and Assembly of Polypeptide Scaffolds in Templating the Synthesis of Silica: An Example of a Polylysine Macromolecular “Switch”

Although the role of polycationic macromolecules in catalyzing the synthesis of silica structures is well established, detailed understanding of the mechanisms behind the production of silica structures of controlled morphologies remains unclear. In this study, we have used both poly-L-lysine (PLL) and/or poly-D-lysine (PDL) for silica synthesis to investigate mechanisms controlling inorganic morphologies. The formation of both spherical silica particles and hexagonal plates was observed. The formation of hexagonal plates was suggested, via circular dichroic spectroscopy (CD), to result from the assembly of helical polylysine molecules. We confirm that the formation of PLL helices is a prerequisite to the hexagonal silica synthesis. In addition, we present for the first time that the handedness of the helicity of the macromolecule does not affect the formation of hexagonal silica. We also show, by using two different silica precursors, that the precursor does not have a direct effect on the formation of hexagonal silica plates. Furthermore, when polylysine helices were converted to beta-sheet structure, only silica particles were obtained, thus suggesting that the adoption of a helical conformation by PLL is required for the formation of hexagonally organized silica. These results demonstrate that the change in polylysine conformation can act as a "switch" in silica structure formation and suggest the potential for controlling morphologies and structures of inorganic materials via control of the conformation of soft macromolecular templates.