A 3D Peptide/[60]Fullerene Hybrid for Multivalent Recognition.

Area of Science:

• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Fully substituted peptide/[60]fullerene hexakis-adducts offer unique opportunities for multivalent protein recognition due to spatial proximity of multiple peptides.
• In vitro evolution techniques can identify high-affinity peptide binders, serving as alternatives to natural ligands.
• Despite their potential, these peptide/[60]fullerene hexakis-adduct conjugates have not been previously reported.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel synthetic strategy for constructing three-dimensional (3D) multivalent peptide/[60]fullerene hybrids.
• To demonstrate the high-affinity binding capability of these hybrids to the E-selectin receptor.
• To establish a proof of principle for the application of these conjugates as functional biocompatible materials.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of fully substituted peptide/[60]fullerene hexakis-adducts.
• Characterization of the 3D multivalent hybrid structures.
• Assessment of binding affinity to E-selectin using established biological assays.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of novel peptide/[60]fullerene hexakis-adducts with a defined 3D multivalent architecture.
• Demonstrated high-affinity binding of the synthesized hybrids to the E-selectin receptor.
• Established the multivalent recognition capability of these novel fullerene conjugates.

Conclusions:

• The developed synthetic strategy enables the construction of 3D multivalent peptide/[60]fullerene hybrids.
• These hybrids exhibit high-affinity binding to natural receptors like E-selectin.
• This work represents a significant proof of principle for future applications in functional biocompatible materials.