Polymer Research Centre, Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research-Kolkata, PO: BCKV Campus Main Office, Mohanpur-741252 Nadia, West Bengal, India.
Langmuir. 2013 Feb 26;29(8):2764-74. doi: 10.1021/la304918s. Epub 2013 Feb 11.
Leucine/isoleucine side chain polymers are of interest due to their hydrophobicity and reported role in the formation of α-helical structures. The synthesis and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of amino acid-based chiral monomers, namely Boc-L-leucine methacryloyloxyethyl ester (Boc-L-Leu-HEMA, 1a), Boc-L-leucine acryloyloxyethyl ester (Boc-L-Leu-HEA, 1b), Boc-L-isoleucine methacryloyloxyethyl ester (Boc-L-Ile-HEMA, 1c), and Boc-L-isoleucine acryloyloxyethyl ester (Boc-L-Ile-HEA, 1d), are reported. The controlled nature of the polymerization of the said chiral monomers in N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) at 70 °C is evident from the formation of narrow polydisperse polymers, the molecular weight controlled by the monomer/chain transfer agent (CTA) molar ratio and the linear relationship between molecular weight and monomer conversion. The resulting well-defined polymers were used as macro-CTAs to prepare corresponding diblock copolymers by RAFT polymerization of methyl (meth)acrylate monomers. Deprotection of Boc groups in the homopolymers and block copolymers under acidic conditions produced cationic, pH-responsive polymers with primary amine moieties at the side chains. The optical activity of the homopolymers and block copolymers were studied using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and specific rotation measurements. The self-assembling nature of the block copolymers to produce highly ordered structures was illustrated through dynamic light scattering (DLS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies. The side chain amine functionality instills pH-responsive behavior, which makes these cationic polymers attractive candidates for drug delivery applications, as well as for conjugation of biomolecules.
亮氨酸/异亮氨酸侧链聚合物因其疏水性和在α-螺旋结构形成中的报道作用而受到关注。报道了基于氨基酸的手性单体的合成和可逆加成-断裂链转移(RAFT)聚合,即 Boc-L-亮氨酸甲基丙烯酰氧乙基酯(Boc-L-Leu-HEMA,1a)、Boc-L-亮氨酸丙烯酰氧乙基酯(Boc-L-Leu-HEA,1b)、Boc-L-异亮氨酸甲基丙烯酰氧乙基酯(Boc-L-Ile-HEMA,1c)和 Boc-L-异亮氨酸丙烯酰氧乙基酯(Boc-L-Ile-HEA,1d)。在 70°C 的 N,N-二甲基甲酰胺(DMF)中,所述手性单体聚合具有可控性,这从形成的窄分散聚合物中显而易见,分子量由单体/链转移剂(CTA)摩尔比控制,分子量与单体转化率之间呈线性关系。所得的定义良好的聚合物被用作大分子 CTA,通过甲基(甲基)丙烯酸酯单体的 RAFT 聚合制备相应的嵌段共聚物。在酸性条件下脱除均聚物和嵌段共聚物中的 Boc 基团,得到具有侧链伯胺基的阳离子、pH 响应聚合物。使用圆二色性(CD)光谱和比旋光度测量研究了均聚物和嵌段共聚物的光学活性。通过动态光散射(DLS)和原子力显微镜(AFM)研究表明,嵌段共聚物具有自组装性质,可产生高度有序的结构。侧链伯胺官能团赋予 pH 响应行为,这使得这些阳离子聚合物成为药物输送应用以及生物分子缀合的有吸引力的候选物。