Zhou Jin, Gao Zi-Jun, Cai Jun-Quan, Li Li-Li, Wang Hao
CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, CAS Key Laboratory of Standardization and Measurement for Nanotechnology , National Center for Nanoscience and Technology , Beijing 100190 , P. R. China.
CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety , National Center for Nanoscience and Technology , Beijing 100190 , P. R. China.
Langmuir. 2020 Feb 18;36(6):1559-1568. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b03652. Epub 2020 Feb 7.
Self-assembly provides researchers powerful tools for creating ordered functional structures and complex architectures. Investigation of in vivo self-assembly reveals the assembly/aggregation-induced retention (AIR) effect and enhanced targeting effect, which can be applied to promising biomedical applications by enhancing molecular accumulation in the target region. These unique bioeffects inspire the interest of researchers in construction of self-assembled nanomaterials in biological systems. Although many efforts have been achieved, the in-depth analysis of the relationship between assemblies and functions is rarely reported. Here, we focus on the relationship of chlorophyll-derivative assemblies and their photoacoustic signals and attempt to establish a method for monitoring the aggregation efficiency in vivo based on photoacoustic signals. Three arginine-rich peptide-purpurin molecules were designed and synthesized. The assembled capabilities and assembly processes of these molecules were characterized and monitored by UV, fluorescence, and CD spectra images of gradually changing polarities in mixed solvents, and the morphologies of the assemblies were observed by TEM. Furthermore, the relationship between the aggregation ratios of the molecules and the ratiometric photoacoustic signals was systemically studied. We prospect that the fundamental research in revealing objective laws will be useful for future guidance in optimizing photoacoustic detection windows and assembled molecule design.
自组装为研究人员提供了强大的工具，用于创建有序的功能结构和复杂的架构。对体内自组装的研究揭示了组装/聚集诱导保留（AIR）效应和增强的靶向效应，通过增强分子在靶区域的积累，可将其应用于有前景的生物医学应用。这些独特的生物效应激发了研究人员在生物系统中构建自组装纳米材料的兴趣。尽管已经取得了许多成果，但很少有关于组装与功能之间关系的深入分析报道。在此，我们关注叶绿素衍生物组装体与其光声信号之间的关系，并尝试建立一种基于光声信号监测体内聚集效率的方法。设计并合成了三种富含精氨酸的肽-紫红素分子。通过混合溶剂中极性逐渐变化的紫外、荧光和圆二色光谱图像对这些分子的组装能力和组装过程进行了表征和监测，并通过透射电子显微镜观察了组装体的形态。此外，系统地研究了分子的聚集比率与比率光声信号之间的关系。我们预期，揭示客观规律的基础研究将有助于未来优化光声检测窗口和组装分子设计。
