Nature-inspired polymers

Nature-inspired polymer for dhig/gene delivery ... 

FIGURE 2.4.1 Nature-inspired polymers for drug and gene delivery system. 

This chapter introduced the nature-inspired polymers with the ability to mimic cell activity for advanced drug and gene delivery. These polymers have been combined with biomolecules such as carbohydrates, peptides, and proteins, which played the prominent roles not only of excellent drug carriers but also of drug molecules themselves. For further... 

R. Akashi, H. Tsutsui and A. Komura, Polymer Gel Light-Modulation Materials Imitating Pigment Cells, Advanced Materials, 14, 1808-1811 (2002) as described by P. Ball, Nature Inspires Colour Change Gel, Nature Materials Update, January 8, 2003. 

Abstract Hyphenation of electrospray ionization witii ion-trap multistage mass spectrometry (ESI-MS°) provides charactoisation of subtle molecular structure of both syntiietic and natural aliphatic polyesters as well as oligomeric products of their biodegradation. Implementation of multisti e MS technique for structural studies of the novel bio-inspired polymers including poly[(R,S)-3-hydroxybutyrate], a-PHB, telechelics and a-PHB conjugates with oligopeptides has been demonstrated. The novel results concerned with evaluation of the subtle structure of macroinitiators obtained by partial depolymerisation of selected natural poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate)s, PHA, are also presented. 

Synthetic polymers can be divided into four key architectural classes linear, crosslinked, branched and dendritic structures. The first three types have been studied extensively in the past. The fourth comprises the more recently developed, nature-inspired dendrimers, and derivatives. 

On the other hand, the excellent properties and intelUgent fimctions of a variety of natural materials have inspired polymer and organic chemists to tailor their synthetic organic alternatives by extracting the essential structoal elements. In particular, one-dimensional structures in nature with sophisticated hierarchy, such as myelinated axons in neurons, tendon, protein tubes of tubulin, and spider webs, provide intriguing examples of integrated functions and properties. 

Truong, N.P., et al. An influenza virus-inspired polymer system for the timed release of siRNA. Nature Communications 4 (2013)... 

The third and last section of our book deals with polymeric materials with bio-inspired functionality. The opening chapter by Waite gives a biological perspective of how mussels adhere to interfaces and emphasizes the importance of first understanding the biology before new, tmly bio-inspired materials can be achieved. The second chapter in this section, written by Lee, describes the synthetic achievements of mussel glue-inspired polymers, and depicts the polymer chemist s approach to mimic the mussel adhesion described by Waite in the previous chapter. Bruns and co-authors present a chapter on self-reporting polymeric materials with mechanochromic properties. Such materials mimic nature s ability to report, repair, and improve... 

Responsive peptides that are derived from naturally inspired motifs fall into two categories. First, responsive polypeptides can be prepared based on the structure of elas-tin, an extracellular matrix protein that is found in connective tissue such as skin and arteries (MacEwan Chilkoti, 2010). These materials typically respond to a stimulus through a change in conformation of the polymer. The second category of naturally inspired peptides consists of short peptide sequences that represent substrates for enzymes. In these materials, the change induced by the stimulus (the enzyme) is an alteration of the chemical functionality displayed on the material surface. Both response mechanisms are shown in Figure 3.4. 

Nature-inspired catalysts synthesis of polymers by bacteria and plants... 

Kjelstrup, S., Coppens, M.-0., Pharoah, J.G., and Pfeifer, P. (2010). Nature-Inspired Energy- and Material-Efficient Design of a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell. Energy Fuels, Vol. 24, pp. 5097. 

Several sessions were included in scientific program. The session Bio-inspired Polymers included 11 oral presentations. Self-assembly of an aquaporin mimic, tailoring surface properties with polymer brushes, bioinspired block copolymers, hierarchically structured conjugated polymers via supramolecular self-assembly, natural polymeric composites with mechanical function, macromolecular oxidation catalysts based on miniemulsion polymerization and some other problems were discussed on this session. 

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