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Adorinni S, Gentile S, Bellotto O, Kralj S, Parisi E, Cringoli MC, Deganutti C, Malloci G, Piccirilli F, Pengo P, Vaccari L, Geremia S, Vargiu AV, De Zorzi R, Marchesan S. Peptide Stereochemistry Effects from p Ka-Shift to Gold Nanoparticle Templating in a Supramolecular Hydrogel. ACS Nano 2024; 18:3011-3022. [PMID: 38235673 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c08004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
The divergent supramolecular behavior of a series of tripeptide stereoisomers was elucidated through spectroscopic, microscopic, crystallographic, and computational techniques. Only two epimers were able to effectively self-organize into amphipathic structures, leading to supramolecular hydrogels or crystals, respectively. Despite the similarity between the two peptides' turn conformations, stereoconfiguration led to different abilities to engage in intramolecular hydrogen bonding. Self-assembly further shifted the pKa value of the C-terminal side chain. As a result, across the pH range 4-6, only one epimer predominated sufficiently as a zwitterion to reach the critical molar fraction, allowing gelation. By contrast, the differing pKa values and higher dipole moment of the other epimer favored crystallization. The four stereoisomers were further tested for gold nanoparticle (AuNP) formation, with the supramolecular hydrogel being the key to control and stabilize AuNPs, yielding a nanocomposite that catalyzed the photodegradation of a dye. Importantly, the AuNP formation occurred without the use of reductants other than the peptide, and the redox chemistry was investigated by LC-MS, NMR, and infrared scattering-type near field optical microscopy (IR s-SNOM). This study provides important insights for the rational design of simple peptides as minimalistic and green building blocks for functional nanocomposites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Adorinni
- Chemical Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Serena Gentile
- Chemical Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Ottavia Bellotto
- Chemical Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Slavko Kralj
- Materials Synthesis Department, Jožef Stefan Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Evelina Parisi
- Chemical Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Maria C Cringoli
- Chemical Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Caterina Deganutti
- Chemical Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Giuliano Malloci
- Physics Department, University of Cagliari, 09042 Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Federica Piccirilli
- Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, 34149 Basovizza, Italy
- Area Science Park, Padriciano 99, 34149 Trieste, Italy
| | - Paolo Pengo
- Chemical Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Lisa Vaccari
- Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, 34149 Basovizza, Italy
| | - Silvano Geremia
- Chemical Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Attilio V Vargiu
- Physics Department, University of Cagliari, 09042 Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Rita De Zorzi
- Chemical Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Silvia Marchesan
- Chemical Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
- Unit of Trieste, INSTM, 34127 Trieste, Italy
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Todea A, Deganutti C, Spennato M, Asaro F, Zingone G, Milizia T, Gardossi L. Azelaic Acid: A Bio-Based Building Block for Biodegradable Polymers. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:4091. [PMID: 34883592 PMCID: PMC8659112 DOI: 10.3390/polym13234091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Azelaic acid is a dicarboxylic acid containing nine C atoms, industrially obtained from oleic acid. Besides its important properties and pharmacological applications, as an individual compound, azelaic acid has proved to be a valuable bio-based monomer for the synthesis of biodegradable and sustainable polymers, plasticizers and lubricants. This review discusses the studies and the state of the art in the field of the production of azelaic acid from oleic acid, the chemical and enzymatic synthesis of bio-based oligo and polyester and their properties, including biodegradability and biocompostability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anamaria Todea
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (A.T.); (C.D.); (M.S.); (F.A.); (G.Z.)
| | - Caterina Deganutti
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (A.T.); (C.D.); (M.S.); (F.A.); (G.Z.)
| | - Mariachiara Spennato
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (A.T.); (C.D.); (M.S.); (F.A.); (G.Z.)
| | - Fioretta Asaro
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (A.T.); (C.D.); (M.S.); (F.A.); (G.Z.)
| | - Guglielmo Zingone
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (A.T.); (C.D.); (M.S.); (F.A.); (G.Z.)
| | | | - Lucia Gardossi
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via L. Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy; (A.T.); (C.D.); (M.S.); (F.A.); (G.Z.)
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Kralj S, Bellotto O, Parisi E, Garcia AM, Iglesias D, Semeraro S, Deganutti C, D’Andrea P, Vargiu AV, Geremia S, De Zorzi R, Marchesan S. Heterochirality and Halogenation Control Phe-Phe Hierarchical Assembly. ACS Nano 2020; 14:16951-16961. [PMID: 33175503 PMCID: PMC7872421 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c06041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Diphenylalanine is an amyloidogenic building block that can form a versatile array of supramolecular materials. Its shortcomings, however, include the uncontrolled hierarchical assembly into microtubes of heterogeneous size distribution and well-known cytotoxicity. This study rationalized heterochirality as a successful strategy to address both of these pitfalls and it provided an unprotected heterochiral dipeptide that self-organized into a homogeneous and optically clear hydrogel with excellent ability to sustain fibroblast cell proliferation and viability. Substitution of one l-amino acid with its d-enantiomer preserved the ability of the dipeptide to self-organize into nanotubes, as shown by single-crystal XRD analysis, whereby the pattern of electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions of the backbone was unaltered. The effect of heterochirality was manifested in subtle changes in the positioning of the aromatic side chains, which resulted in weaker intermolecular interactions between nanotubes. As a result, d-Phe-l-Phe self-organized into homogeneous nanofibrils with a diameter of 4 nm, corresponding to two layers of peptides around a water channel, and yielded a transparent hydrogel. In contrast with homochiral Phe-Phe stereoisomer, it formed stable hydrogels thermoreversibly. d-Phe-l-Phe displayed no amyloid toxicity in cell cultures with fibroblast cells proliferating in high numbers and viability on this biomaterial, marking it as a preferred substrate over tissue-culture plastic. Halogenation also enabled the tailoring of d-Phe-l-Phe self-organization. Fluorination allowed analogous supramolecular packing as confirmed by XRD, thus nanotube formation, and gave intermediate levels of bundling. In contrast, iodination was the most effective strategy to augment the stability of the resulting hydrogel, although at the expense of optical transparency and biocompatibility. Interestingly, iodine presence hindered the supramolecular packing into nanotubes, resulting instead into amphipathic layers of stacked peptides without the occurrence of halogen bonding. By unravelling fine details to control these materials at the meso- and macro-scale, this study significantly advanced our understanding of these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Slavko Kralj
- Chemical
and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
- Materials
Synthesis Department, Jožef Stefan
Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ottavia Bellotto
- Chemical
and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Evelina Parisi
- Chemical
and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Ana M. Garcia
- Chemical
and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Daniel Iglesias
- Chemical
and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Sabrina Semeraro
- Chemical
and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Caterina Deganutti
- Chemical
and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Paola D’Andrea
- Life
Sciences Department, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Attilio V. Vargiu
- Physics
Department, University of Cagliari, s.p. 8, km. 0.700, 09042 Monserrato, Italy
| | - Silvano Geremia
- Chemical
and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Rita De Zorzi
- Chemical
and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Silvia Marchesan
- Chemical
and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, University of Trieste, Via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
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Kurbasic M, Semeraro S, Garcia AM, Kralj S, Parisi E, Deganutti C, De Zorzi R, Marchesan S. Microwave-Assisted Cyclization of Unprotected Dipeptides in Water to 2,5-Piperazinediones and Self-Assembly Study of Products and Reagents. SYNTHESIS-STUTTGART 2019. [DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1612376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Dipeptides and their cyclized 2,5-piperazinedione (or diketopiperazine, DKP) derivatives are attractive building blocks for supramolecular hydrogels. The Phe-Phe, (p-nitro)-Phe-Phe, and Phe-Val dipeptides and their corresponding DKPs are studied for self-assembly in water. The DKPs were obtained in high yields by microwave-assisted cyclization of the dipeptides in water, demonstrating that use of their methyl ester derivatives as reported in the literature is not necessary for successful cyclization. Single-crystal XRD structures are reported for two DKPs as well as stable hydrogels at neutral pH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Kurbasic
- Chemical & Pharmaceutical Sciences Dept., University of Trieste
| | | | - Ana M. Garcia
- Chemical & Pharmaceutical Sciences Dept., University of Trieste
| | - Slavko Kralj
- Chemical & Pharmaceutical Sciences Dept., University of Trieste
- Materials Synthesis Department, Jožef Stefan Institute
| | - Evelina Parisi
- Chemical & Pharmaceutical Sciences Dept., University of Trieste
| | | | - Rita De Zorzi
- Chemical & Pharmaceutical Sciences Dept., University of Trieste
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Garcia AM, Iglesias D, Parisi E, Styan KE, Waddington LJ, Deganutti C, De Zorzi R, Grassi M, Melchionna M, Vargiu AV, Marchesan S. Chirality Effects on Peptide Self-Assembly Unraveled from Molecules to Materials. Chem 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chempr.2018.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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