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Design of Cyclic Peptide-Based Nanospheres and the Delivery of siRNA
oleh: Junfeng Ke, Jingli Zhang, Junyang Li, Junqiu Liu, Shuwen Guan
| Format: | Article |
|---|---|
| Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2022-10-01 |
Deskripsi
In recent years, cyclic peptides have attracted much attention due to their chemical and enzymatic stability, low toxicity, and easy modification. In general, the self-assembled nanostructures of cyclic peptides tend to form nanotubes in a cyclic stacking manner through hydrogen bonding. However, studies exploring other assembly strategies are scarce. In this context, we proposed a new assembly strategy based on cyclic peptides with covalent self-assembly. Here, cyclic peptide-(DPDPDP) was rationally designed and used as a building block to construct new assemblies. With cyclo-(DP)<sub>3</sub> as the structural unit and 2,2′-diamino-N-methyldiethylamine as the linker, positively charged nanospheres ((CP)<sub>6</sub>NS) based on cyclo-(DP)<sub>3</sub> were successfully constructed by covalent self-assembly. We assessed their size and morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), TEM, and DLS. (CP)<sub>6</sub>NS were found to have a strong positive charge, so they could bind to siRNA through electrostatic interactions. Confocal microscopy analysis and cell viability assays showed that (CP)<sub>6</sub>NS had high cellular internalization efficiency and low cytotoxicity. More importantly, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and flow cytometry analyses indicated that (CP)<sub>6</sub>NS-siRNA complexes potently inhibited gene expression and promoted tumor cell apoptosis. These results suggest that (CP)<sub>6</sub>NS may be a potential siRNA carrier for gene therapy.