WestCHEM/Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G1 1XL, UK.
Small. 2014 Jan 29;10(2):285-93. doi: 10.1002/smll.201301333. Epub 2013 Aug 5.
Uniformly-sized, nanostructured peptide microparticles are generated by exploiting the ability of enzymes to serve (i) as catalysts, to control self-assembly within monodisperse, surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil microdroplets, and (ii) as destabilizers of emulsion interfaces, to enable facile transfer of the produced microparticles to water. This approach combines the advantages of biocatalytic self-assembly with the compartmentalization properties enabled by droplet microfluidics. Firstly, using microfluidic techniques, precursors of self-assembling peptide derivatives and enzymes are mixed in the microdroplets which upon catalytic conversion undergo molecular self-assembly into peptide particles, depending on the chemical nature of the precursors. Due to their amphiphilic nature, enzymes adsorb at the water-surfactant-oil interface of the droplets, inducing the transfer of peptide microparticles from the oil to the aqueous phase. Ultimately, through washing steps, enzymes can be removed from the microparticles which results in uniformely-sized particles composed of nanostructured aromatic peptide amphiphiles.
通过利用酶的能力，我们可以制备均一尺寸的纳米结构肽微球，酶既可以作为催化剂控制单分散、表面活性剂稳定的油包水型微液滴内的自组装过程，又可以作为乳化界面的去稳定剂，从而可以使生成的微球轻易地转移到水中。这种方法结合了酶催化自组装的优势和微流控技术所带来的微区隔化特性。首先，使用微流控技术，将自组装肽衍生物和酶的前体在微液滴中混合，然后通过催化转化，前体分子在微液滴中发生自组装，形成肽颗粒，这取决于前体的化学性质。由于酶具有两亲性，它会吸附在液滴的水-表面活性剂-油界面上，促使肽微球从油相向水相转移。最终，通过洗涤步骤，可以将酶从微球中去除，从而得到由纳米结构芳香族肽两亲物组成的均一尺寸的微球。
