Peptide nanostructures encapsulating a foreign material and method of manufacturing same

• US 8,017,586 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2009
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Cordero Garcia; Marcela M
• Application Number:
  US12/318,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20090121709A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 514/21.91
• 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 method of encapsulating a metal in a tubular nanostructure, the method comprising:

(a) providing a discrete tubular nanostructure composed of a plurality of aromatic homodipeptides, the discrete tubular nanostructure having an internal cavity; and

(b) introducing the metal into said internal cavity of the discrete tubular nanostructure, thereby encapsulating the metal in the tubular nanostructure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said discrete tubular nanostructure does not exceed 500 nm in diameter.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said discrete tubular nanostructure is at least 1 nm in length.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said homodipeptides comprise a D-amino acid.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said homodipeptides comprise an L-amino acid.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said discrete tubular nanostructure is stable at a temperature range of 4-200°

C.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said discrete tubular nanostructure is stable in an acidic environment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the discrete tubular nanostructure is stable in a basic environment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said aromatic homodipeptides comprise Phe-Phe.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said aromatic homodipeptides are selected from the group consisting of naphthylalanine-naphthylalanine dipeptide, (pentafluoro-phenylalanine)-(pentafluoro-phenylalanine) dipeptide, (iodo-phenylalanine)-(iodo-phenylalanine) dipeptide, (4-phenyl phenylalanine)-(4-phenyl phenylalanine) dipeptide and (p-nitro-phenylalanine)-(p-nitro-phenylalanine) dipeptide.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said metal is selected from the group consisting of silver, gold, copper, platinum, nickel and palladium.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said discrete tubular nanostructure is obtained under non-saturation conditions which favor formation of the discrete tubular nanostructure.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said non-saturation conditions comprise dissolving the peptides in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol at a concentration of 100 mg/ml and subsequent dilution in water to a final concentration of 2 mg/ml.

2. A method of encapsulating a metal in a tubular nanostructure, the method comprising assembling a discrete tubular nanostructure composed of a plurality of aromatic homodipeptides in the presence of the metal, thereby encapsulating the material in the nanostructure.

15. A method of positioning a target molecule at a predetermined location, the method comprising:

(a) providing a magnetic metal nanowire having at least one segment associated with a functional group or ligand, said functional group or ligand being capable of binding to the target molecule;

(b) binding said magnetic metal nanowire to the target molecule; and

(c) exposing said magnetic metal nanowire to a magnetic field, so as to position said magnetic metal nanowire and the target molecule at the predetermined location;

wherein said magnetic metal nanowire is formed of a magnetic metal material at least partially enclosed by a nanostructure composed of a plurality of homodipeptides.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said magnetic material is a ferromagnetic material.