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Complex Energy Landscapes of Self-Assembled Vesicles

Jiabin Luan¹, Danni Wang¹, Shaohua Zhang¹

¹Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Journal of the American Chemical Society

|July 10, 2023

Summary

Scientists created synthetic vesicles mimicking cellular ones by controlling oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) interdigitation. Temperature changes switch OEG activation, enabling pathway selection for advanced nanomedicine and materials.

Area of Science:

Supramolecular Chemistry
Materials Science
Nanotechnology

Background:

Supramolecular chemistry advances systems away from equilibrium, enabling complex structures.
Synthetic vesicular assemblies mimicking cellular vesicles remain rare.
Cellular vesicles like exosomes exhibit complex energy landscapes and pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

To create synthetic vesicles with complex energy landscapes and pathway selection.
To emulate dynamic cellular vesicles using synthetic systems.
To explore temperature-controlled switching of vesicular assembly.

Main Methods:

Utilizing monodisperse Janus dendrimers with encoded conformational freedom.
Activating oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) interdigitation via temperature ramps.
Determining critical temperatures through molecular design.

Main Results:

Revealed a rich landscape and pathway selection of distinct synthetic vesicles.
Demonstrated selective on/off switching of OEG interdigitation using temperature.
Showcased synthetic vesicles emulating dynamic cellular vesicles with distinct energy states and transition pathways.

Conclusions:

Synthetic vesicles with activated OEG corona conformation can emulate dynamic cellular vesicles.
Temperature-controlled interdigitation offers a method for pathway selection in vesicle formation.
This approach opens new avenues for nanomedicine and advanced materials development.

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