ja0c01173_si_001.pdf (2.19 MB)
Unimolecular Polypeptide Micelles via Ultrafast Polymerization of N‑Carboxyanhydrides
journal contribution
posted on 2020-05-01, 15:12 authored by Shixian Lv, Hojun Kim, Ziyuan Song, Lin Feng, Yingfeng Yang, Ryan Baumgartner, Kuan-Ying Tseng, Shen J. Dillon, Cecilia Leal, Lichen Yin, Jianjun ChengPolypeptide micelles
are widely used as biocompatible nanoplatforms
but often suffer from their poor structural stability. Unimolecular
polypeptide micelles can effectively address the structure instability
issue, but their synthesis with uniform structure and well-controlled
and desired sizes remains challenging. Herein we report the convenient
preparation of spherical unimolecular micelles through dendritic polyamine-initiated
ultrafast ring-opening polymerization of N-carboxyanhydrides
(NCAs). Synthetic polypeptides with exceptionally high molecular weights
(up to 85 MDa) and low dispersity (Đ < 1.05)
can be readily obtained, which are the biggest synthetic polypeptides
ever reported. The degree of polymerization was controlled in a vast
range (25–3200), giving access to nearly monodisperse unimolecular
micelles with predictable sizes. Many NCA monomers can be polymerized
using this ultrafast polymerization method, which enables the incorporation
of various structural and functional moieties into the unimolecular
micelles. Because of the simplicity of the synthesis and superior
control over the structure, the unimolecular polypeptide micelles
may find applications in nanomedicine, supermolecular chemistry, and
bionanotechnology.