Title
Intrinsically fluorescent polyureas toward conformation-assisted metamorphosis, discoloration and intracellular drug delivery
Author
Yeqiang Zhou, Fan Fan, Jinling Zhao, Zhaoding Wang, Rui Wang, Yi Zheng, Hang Liu, Chuan Peng, Jianshu Li, Hong Tan, Qiang Fu & Mingming Ding
Year
2022
Journal
Nature Communications
Abstract
Peptidomimetic polymers have attracted increasing interest because of the advantages of facile synthesis, high molecular tunability, resistance to degradation, and low immunogenicity. However, the presence of non-native linkages compromises their ability to form higher ordered structures and protein-inspired functions. Here we report a class of amino acid-constructed polyureas with molecular weight- and solvent-dependent helical and sheet-like conformations as well as green fluorescent protein-mimic autofluorescence with aggregation-induced emission characteristics. The copolymers self-assemble into vesicles and nanotubes and exhibit H-bonding-mediated metamorphosis and discoloration behaviors. We show that these polymeric vehicles with ultrahigh stability, superfast responsivity and conformation-assisted cell internalization efficiency could act as an “on-off” switchable nanocarrier for specific intracellular drug delivery and effective cancer theranosis in vitro and in vivo. This work provides insights into the folding and hierarchical assembly of biomacromolecules, and a new generation of bioresponsive polymers and nonconventional luminescent aliphatic materials for diverse applications.
Full Article
Instrument
J-1500
Keywords
degradation, proteins, fluorescent, luminescence