Peptide nanostructures encapsulating a foreign material and method of manufacturing same

• US 20060079455A1
• Filed: 06/09/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ramot at Tel Aviv University Limited (Tel Aviv University)
• Original Assignee: Ramot at Tel Aviv University Limited (Tel Aviv University)
• Inventors: Reches, Meital, Gazit, Ehud
• Granted Patent: US 7,504,383 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 514/21.910
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 47/6925 the form being a microcapsule, nanocapsule, microbubble or nanobubble
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0092 Hollow drug-filled fibres, tubes of the core-shell type, coated fibres, coated rods, microtubules or nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 5/00 Nanobiotechnology or nanomedicine, e.g. protein engineering or drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 5/06078 and aromatic or cycloaliphatic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78 with field effect produced by an insulated gate H01L29/7725, H01L29/775, H01L29/778 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/82 controllable by variation of the magnetic field applied to the device

Abstract

A composition comprising a material at least partially enclosed by a tubular, spherical or planar nanostructure composed of a plurality of peptides, wherein each of the plurality of peptides includes no more than 4 amino acids and whereas at least one of the 4 amino acids is an aromatic amino acid.

Claims

1. A composition comprising a material at least partially enclosed by a tubular, spherical or planar nanostructure composed of a plurality of peptides, wherein each of said plurality of peptides includes no more than 4 amino acids and whereas at least one of said 4 amino acids is an aromatic amino acid.

4. The composition or method of claim 1, wherein said nanostructure does not exceed 500 nm in diameter.

5. The composition or method of claim 1, wherein said tubular nanostructure is at least 1 nm in length.

6. The composition or method of claim 1, wherein each of said 4 amino acids is independently selected from the group of naturally occurring amino acids, synthetic amino acids and combinations thereof.

7. The composition or method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said 4 amino acids is a D-amino acid.

8. The composition or method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said 4 amino acids is an L-amino acid.

9. The composition or method of claim 1, wherein said nanostructure is stable at a temperature range of 4-200°

C.

10. The composition or method of claim 1, wherein said nanostructure is stable in an acidic environment.

11. The composition or method of claim 1, wherein the nanostructure is stable in a basic environment.

12. The composition or method of claim 1, wherein at least one peptide of said plurality of peptides comprises at least two aromatic amino acids.

13. The composition or method of claim 12, wherein at least one peptide of said plurality of peptides is a homodipeptide.

14. The composition or method of claim 13, wherein each of the amino acids is said homodipeptide comprises an aromatic moiety.

15. The composition or method of claim 14, wherein said aromatic moiety is selected from the group consisting of substituted or unsubstituted naphthalenyl and substituted or unsubstituted phenyl.

16. The composition or method of claim 15, wherein said substituted phenyl is selected from the group consisting of pentafluoro phenyl, iodophenyl, biphenyl and nitrophenyl.

17. The composition or method of claim 15, wherein said homodipeptide is selected from the group consisting of naphthylalanine-naphthylalanine dipeptide, (pentafluro-phenylalanine)-(pentafluro-phenylalanine) dipeptide, (iodo-phenylalanine)-(iodo-phenylalanine) dipeptide, (4-phenyl phenylalanine)-(4-phenyl phenylalanine) dipeptide and (p-nitro-phenylalanine)-(p-nitro-phenylalanine) dipeptide.

21. The composition or method of claim 1, wherein said material is in a gaseous state.

22. The composition or method of claim 1, wherein said material is in a condensed state.

23. The composition or method of claim 1, wherein said material is selected from the group consisting of a conducting material, a semiconducting material, a thermoelectric material, a magnetic material, a light-emitting material, a biomineral, a polymer and an organic material.

24. The composition or method of claim 23, wherein conducting material is selected from the group consisting of silver, gold, copper, platinum, nickel and palladium.

25. The composition or method of claim 23, wherein said semiconducting material is selected from the group consisting of CdS, CdSe, ZnS and SiO₂.

26. The composition or method of claim 23, wherein said magnetic material is a paramagnetic material.

27. The composition or method of claim 26, wherein said paramagnetic material is selected froth the group consisting of cobalt, copper, nickel and platinum.

28. The composition or method of claim 23, wherein said magnetic material is a ferromagnetic material.

29. The composition or method of claim 28, wherein said ferromagnetic material is selected from the group consisting of magnetite and NdFeB.

30. The composition or method of claim 23, wherein said light-emitting material is selected from the group consisting of dysprosium, europium, terbium, ruthenium, thulium, neodymium, erbium, ytterbium and any organic complex thereof.

31. The composition or method of claim 23, wherein said biomineral comprises calcium carbonate.

32. The composition or method of claim 23, wherein said polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride.

33. The composition or method of claim 23, wherein said thermoelectric material is selected from the group consisting of bismuth telluride, bismuth selenide, bismuth antimony telluride and bismuth selenium telluride.

34. The composition or method of claim 23, wherein said biomolecule is selected from the group consisting of a polynucleotide and a polypeptide.

2. A method of encapsulating material in a tubular, spherical or planar nanostructure, the method comprising:

(a) providing the tubular or spherical nanostructure composed of a plurality of peptides, wherein each of said plurality of peptides includes no more than 4 amino acids and whereas at least one of said 4 amino acids is an aromatic amino acid, the tubular or spherical nanostructure having an internal cavity; and

(b) introducing the material into said internal cavity of the tubular or spherical nanostructure, thereby encapsulating the material in the tubular or spherical nanostructure.

3. A method of encapsulating material in a tubular, spherical or planar nanostructure, the method comprising assembling the tubular or spherical nanostructure composed of a plurality of peptides, wherein each of said plurality of peptides includes no more than 4 amino acids and whereas at least one of said 4 amino acids is an aromatic amino acid in the presence of the material, there by encapsulating the material on the tubular or spherical nanostructure.

18. A composition comprising a material at least partially enclosed by a tubular, spherical or planar nanostructure composed of polyaromatic peptides.

19. The composition of claim 18, wherein said polyaromatic peptides are selected from the group, consisting of polyphenylalanine peptides, polytriptophane peptides, polytyrosine peptides, non-natural derivatives thereof and combinations thereof.

20. The composition of claim 18, wherein said polyaromatic peptides are at least 30 amino acids in length.