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Graft copolymer polyelectrolyte complexes for delivery of cationic antimicrobial peptides
Author(s) -
Niece Krista L.,
Vaughan Asa D.,
Devore David I.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.34555
Subject(s) - polyelectrolyte , copolymer , cationic polymerization , carbodiimide , peptide , materials science , zeta potential , antimicrobial peptides , covalent bond , polymer , polymer chemistry , nanoparticle , combinatorial chemistry , organic chemistry , chemistry , nanotechnology , biochemistry , composite material
Peptides have enormous potential as therapeutic agents for the treatment of infection, in immunomodulation and for other medical applications, but their hydrolytic degradation in biological fluids is a serious limitation to their in vivo performance. Here we demonstrate the potential utility of polyelectrolyte nanoparticle complexes of novel self‐assembling anionic graft copolymers for protecting peptides from degradation in human plasma. The anionic graft copolymers are synthesized by covalently attaching pendent polyetheramine chains to poly(alkylacrylic acid) backbones by carbodiimide coupling. The peptide:copolymer nanocomplexes' particle size, zeta‐potential, peptide binding, and controlled release of the peptide are shown to be dependent upon the pendent chain graft density, polymer backbone alkyl groups (propyl vs. methyl), and the nanocomplexes' electrostatic charge ratio. The nanocomplexes can provide substantial protection to the bound peptides from degradation in human plasma for at least 24 h and, in standard microbiological assays are shown to retain some or all of the peptide's antimicrobial activity against a clinically relevant strain of Staphylococcus aureus . © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 101A: 2548–2558, 2013.