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Published on: June 20, 2019
Synthesis and gelation of copolypept(o)ides with random and block structure
Yan Xiao1, Jianqiang Wang1, Jun Zhang1
1Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China.
Abstract:
Copolypept(o)ides of polysarcosine (PSar) and poly(N-isopropyl-L-glutamine) (PIGA) with random and block sequence structures were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of sarcosine N-carboxyanhydrides (Sar-NCA) and γ-benzyl-l-glutamate N-carboxyanhydrides (BLG-NCA) and post modification. With different distribution of Sar along the main chain, H-bonding pattern and secondary structure of polypeptides were turned, as well as aggregation and gelation behavior. Both copolypept(o)ides formed hydrogels above their critical gelation concentrations (CGCs) without thermo-sensitivity, which was normally reserved for PEG copolypeptides (eg, PEG-b-PIGA). In particular, a different mechanism from previously reported micellar percolation or fibrillar entanglement was suggested for gelation of the random copolypept(o)ide. Therefore, hydrogels from copolymers of PSar and PIGA represented a new approach to construct easy-handling, biocompatible, biodegradable and thermo-stable gels that could potentially be applied in biomedical fields.
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