School of Chemistry - Research Publications

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Start date: 2020 × Author: Ashokkumar, Muthupandian × Author: Cavalieri, Francesca × End date: 2020 ×

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    Sono-Assembly of the [Arg-Phe]4 Octapeptide into Biofunctional Nanoparticles.
    Baral, A ; Bhangu, SK ; Cimino, R ; Pelin, JNBD ; Alves, WA ; Chattopadhyay, S ; Ashokkumar, M ; Cavalieri, F (MDPI AG, 2020-09-08)
    High-frequency ultrasound treatment is found to be a one-pot green technique to produce peptide-based nanostructures by ultrasound assisted self-assembly of oligopeptides. [Arg-Phe]4 octapeptides, consisting of alternating arginine (Arg/R) and phenylalanine (Phe/F) sequences, were subjected to 430 kHz ultrasound in aqueous solution in the absence of any external agents, to form [RF]4 nanoparticles ([RF]4-NPs), ~220 nm in diameter. A comprehensive analysis of the obtained nanoparticles demonstrated that the aromatic moieties of the oligopeptides can undergo oxidative coupling to form multiple oligomeric species, which then self-assemble into well-defined fluorescent nanoparticles. [RF]4-NPs were functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEGylated) to improve their colloidal stability. Unlike the parent peptide, the PEGylated [RF]4-NPs showed limited cytotoxicity towards MDA-MB-231 cells. Furthermore, the intracellular trafficking of PEGylated [RF]4-NPs was investigated after incubation with MDA-MB-231 cells to demonstrate their efficient endo-lysosomal escape. This work highlights that the combined use of ultrasonic technologies and peptides enables easy fabrication of nanoparticles, with potential application in drug delivery.
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    Sound-driven dissipative self-assembly of aromatic biomolecules into functional nanoparticles
    Bhangu, SK ; Bocchinfuso, G ; Ashokkumar, M ; Cavalieri, F (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2020-03-01)
    Dissipative self-assembly processes were recently exploited to assemble synthetic materials into supramolecular structures. In most cases, chemical fuel or light driven self-assembly of synthetic molecules was reported. Herein, experimental and computational approaches were used to unveil the role of acoustic cavitation in the formation of supramolecular nanoaggregates by dissipative self-assembly. Acoustic cavitation bubbles were employed as an energy source and a transient interface to fuel and refuel the dissipative self-assembly of simple aromatic biomolecules into uniform nanoparticles. Molecular dynamics simulations were applied to predict the formation of metastable aggregates and the dynamic exchange of the interacting molecules in the nanoaggregates. The intracellular trafficking and dissipative dissolution of the nanoparticles were tracked by microscopy imaging.