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Published on: October 25, 2017
Programmable Helical Periodicity in Single-Component Supramolecular Nanofibers for Pitch-Regulated Cellular Response.
Fengli Gao1, Yahong Zhou2, Zheng Ling3
1State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Molecular Engineering of Chiral Drug, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|June 22, 2026
Summary
Single-component camptothecin (CPT) nanofibers exhibit tunable helical pitches, programmable by concentration. This chirality regulates cell adhesion by influencing protein adsorption and cell structure.
Area of Science:
- Supramolecular chemistry
- Chiral nanotechnology
- Biomaterials science
Background:
- Tunable helical periodicity in supramolecular architectures is crucial for biological mimicry.
- Existing methods for creating chiral architectures often involve complex, heterogeneous systems with limited predictability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a single-component system for creating supramolecular chiral architectures with programmable helical pitches.
- To investigate the mechanism of helical assembly and its impact on cellular behavior.
Main Methods:
- Spontaneous self-assembly of camptothecin (CPT) into nanofibers.
- Control of helical pitch via monomer concentration.
- Characterization of helical structures and dissymmetry factor (gabs).
- Assessment of cell adhesion efficiency and cellular response.
Main Results:
- Single-component CPT nanofibers self-assemble with widely programmable and predictable helical pitches.
- Helical pitch is precisely controlled by CPT monomer concentration.
- Achieved a high dissymmetry factor (gabs) up to 0.12.
- Modulable helical pitch resulted in a 3.21-fold regulation of cell adhesion efficiency.
Conclusions:
- Single-component CPT nanofibers offer a strategy for designing programmable chiral architectures.
- Helical periodicity is a fundamental physical cue regulating cellular responses.
- This platform enables precision-engineered bioactive chiral nanostructures for biomedical applications.
