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Published on: September 19, 2022
Helical Poly(arginine) Mimics with Superior Cell-Penetrating and Molecular Transporting Properties
Haoyu Tang1, Lichen Yin1, Kyung Hoon Kim1
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1304 West Green Street, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
Abstract:
Poly(arginine) mimics bearing long hydrophobic side chains adopt stable helical conformation and exhibit helix-related cell-penetrating properties. Elongating polypeptide backbone length and increasing side chain hydrophobicity further increase the helicities of poly(arginine) mimics. They show superior cell membrane permeability up to two orders of magnitude higher than that of HIV-TAT peptide and excellent DNA and siRNA delivery efficiencies in various mammalian cells.

