Protein-based polymers

DW Urry, SQ Peng, TM Parker. Hydrophobicity-induced pK shifts in elastin protein-based polymers. Biopolymers 32 373-379, 1992. 

DW Urry, CM Harris, CX Luan, CH Luan, C Gowda, TM Parker, SQ Peng, J Xu. Transductional protein-based polymers as new controlled-release vehicles. In K Park, ed. Controlled Drug Delivery Challenges and Strategies. Washington, DC ACS, 1997, pp 405-437. 

The material behavior of polymers is totally controlled by their molecular structure. In fact, this is true for all polymers synthetically generated polymers as well as polymers found in nature (bio-polymers), such as natural rubber, ivory, amber, protein-based polymers or cellulose-based materials. To understand the basic aspects of material behavior and its relation to the molecular structure of polymers, in this chapter we attempt to introduce the fundamental concepts in a compact and simple way. 

Relaxation of the water molecules near a protein surface depends strongly on the temperature and the charge of the protein side chain (i.e., pH of the me-diiun) [18c,d]. In aqueous solution of a hydrophobic protein-based polymer, Urry et al. [18c] observed a temperature-dependent dielectric relaxation near 5 GHz. The water molecules, responsible for the fast relaxation, are known as the water... 

D. W. Urry, S. Q. Peng, and T. M. Parker, Biopolymers, 32, 373 (1992). Hydrophobicity-Induced pK Shifts in Elastin Protein-Based Polymers. 

C. Guda, S.B. Lee, and H. Daniell, Stable expression of a biodegradable protein-based polymer in stable tobacco chloroplasts. Plant Cell Reports 19 257-262, 2000. 

Taken together, all of these characteristics have stimulated significant interest in the use of protein-based biomaterials for drug delivery, gene delivery, and other biomedical applications. The purpose of this chapter is to present the current state of the art in the use of biologically synthesized, protein-based polymers for biomedical applications, with an emphasis on drug and gene delivery. 

Meyer DE, Chilkoti A. Genetically encoded synthesis of protein-based polymers with precisely specified molecular weight and sequence by recursive directional ligation examples from the elastin-like polypeptide system. Biomacromolecules 2002 3 357-367. 

Urry DW. Physical chemistry of biological free energy transduction as demonstrated by elastic protein-based polymers. J Phys Chem B 1997 101 11007-11028. 

Mi, L. X. Molecular cloning of protein-based polymers. Biomacromolecules 7, 2099-2107 (2006). 

Natural and Protein-Based Polymers for Oral Peptide Delivery.1370... 

Despite of the encouraging potential of polymeric nano/microparticles, formulating a marketable peptide-delivery system still remains a major challenge. In this chapter, we have attempted to review the prospects and problems associated with polymeric nano/microparticles toward oral peptide delivery. Polymers are classified under three different categories (1) synthetic biodegradable polymers, (2) synthetic nonbiodegradable polymers, and (3) natural- and protein-based polymers (Table 57.2). 

Polysaccharides are among the most versatile polymers because of their vast structural diversity and nontoxicity. Among polysaccharides, chitosan, alginate, pectin, hylauronic acid, and dextran have received much attention. Protein-based polymers such as albumin, casein, and gelatin have also been investigated for oral peptide delivery. 

Elastic, plastic, and hydrogel-forming protein-based polymers... 

Table 1. Hydrophobicity scale for protein-based polymers and proteins based on the properties of the inverse temperature transition of elastic protein-based polymers, poly[/v(GVGVP), (GXGVP)]. ...

Table 4. Physical properties of elastic and plastic protein-based polymers.

Table 6. Examples of free energy transduction effected by elastin protein-based polymers.

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