Incorporating a Tetrapeptide into Lyotropic Direct Hexagonal Mesophase.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Biomaterials Science

Background:

• Hexagonal mesophases (C12EO10/H2O and C12EO10/La(III)/H2O) are structured liquid crystalline systems.
• Incorporating hydrophobic biomolecules into such systems presents challenges for drug delivery applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an approach for incorporating a bioactive hydrophobic tetrapeptide (TP) into hexagonal mesophases.
• To characterize the structural and intermolecular changes in these mesophases upon TP incorporation.
• To assess the potential of these modified mesophases for biomolecule delivery.

Main Methods:

• X-ray diffraction to analyze structural characteristics and molecular packing.
• Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to examine intermolecular interactions.
• Pulsed-gradient spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance (PGSE-NMR) self-diffusion experiments to study lyomesophase structure and hydration.

Main Results:

• Established concentration and temperature ranges for mesophase formation in the presence of TP.
• Observed denser molecular packing in mesophases containing TP via X-ray diffraction.
• Identified intermolecular changes using FTIR spectroscopy.
• Characterized lyomesophase structure and water molecule hydration using NMR self-diffusion.

Conclusions:

• Successfully demonstrated the incorporation of the tetrapeptide (TP) into the hexagonal mesophase structure.
• Confirmed that hexagonal mesophases can be utilized for the encapsulation and delivery of biomolecules.
• The findings support the use of these mesophases as a delivery vehicle for hydrophobic bioactive substances.