CNRS, Immunology, Immunopathology and Therapeutic Chemistry, UPR 3572, University of Strasbourg, ISIS, 67000 Strasbourg, France.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2024 Feb 28;16(8):10532-10544. doi: 10.1021/acsami.3c18463. Epub 2024 Feb 17.
Materials made of assembled biomolecules such as amino acids have drawn much attention during the past decades. Nevertheless, research on the relationship between the chemical structure of building block molecules, supramolecular interactions, and self-assembled structures is still necessary. Herein, the self-assembly and the coassembly of fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc)-protected aromatic amino acids (tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine) were studied. The individual self-assembly of Fmoc-Tyr-OH and Fmoc-Phe-OH in water formed nanofibers, while Fmoc-Trp-OH self-assembled into nanoparticles. Moreover, when Fmoc-Tyr-OH or Fmoc-Phe-OH was coassembled with Fmoc-Trp-OH, the nanofibers were transformed into nanoparticles. UV-vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy were used to investigate the supramolecular interactions leading to the self-assembled architectures. π-π stacking and hydrogen bonding were the main driving forces leading to the self-assembly of Fmoc-Tyr-OH and Fmoc-Phe-OH forming nanofibers. Further, a mechanism involving a two-step coassembly process is proposed based on nucleation and elongation/growth to explain the structural transformation. Fmoc-Trp-OH acted as a fiber inhibitor to alter the molecular interactions in the Fmoc-Tyr-OH or Fmoc-Phe-OH self-assembled structures during the coassembly process, locking the coassembly in the nucleation step and preventing the formation of nanofibers. This structural transformation is useful for extending the application of amino acid self- or coassembled materials in different fields. For example, the amino acids forming nanofibers could be applied for tissue engineering, while they could be exploited as drug nanocarriers when they form nanoparticles.
几十年来,人们对组装生物分子(如氨基酸)材料的研究产生了浓厚的兴趣。然而,研究构建块分子的化学结构、超分子相互作用和自组装结构之间的关系仍然是必要的。在此,研究了芴甲氧羰基(Fmoc)-保护的芳香族氨基酸(酪氨酸、色氨酸和苯丙氨酸)的自组装和共组装。Fmoc-Tyr-OH 和 Fmoc-Phe-OH 的单体自组装在水中形成了纳米纤维,而 Fmoc-Trp-OH 则自组装成了纳米颗粒。此外,当 Fmoc-Tyr-OH 或 Fmoc-Phe-OH 与 Fmoc-Trp-OH 共组装时,纳米纤维转变为纳米颗粒。紫外可见光谱、傅里叶变换红外光谱和荧光光谱被用来研究导致自组装结构的超分子相互作用。π-π 堆积和氢键是导致 Fmoc-Tyr-OH 和 Fmoc-Phe-OH 形成纳米纤维的自组装的主要驱动力。此外,基于成核和伸长/生长,提出了一个涉及两步共组装过程的机制,来解释结构的转变。Fmoc-Trp-OH 作为纤维抑制剂,在共组装过程中改变 Fmoc-Tyr-OH 或 Fmoc-Phe-OH 自组装结构中的分子相互作用,将共组装锁定在成核步骤,阻止纳米纤维的形成。这种结构的转变有助于扩展氨基酸自组装或共组装材料在不同领域的应用。例如,形成纳米纤维的氨基酸可用于组织工程,而形成纳米颗粒的氨基酸可作为药物纳米载体。