Separating Extreme pH Gradients Using Amphiphilic Copolymer Membranes

Chemphyschem : a European Journal of Chemical Physics and Physical Chemistry
Lorena Ruiz-PérezGiuseppe Battaglia

Abstract

Polymeric vesicles, also called polymersomes, are highly efficient biomimetic systems. They can generate compartmentalized volumes at the nanoscale supported by synthetic amphiphilic membranes that closely mimic their biological counterparts. Membrane permeability and the ability to separate extreme pH gradients is a crucial condition a successful biomimetic system must meet. We show that polymersomes formed by non-ionic polybutadiene-b-polyethylene oxide (PBd-b-PEO) amphiphilic block copolymers engineer robust and stable membranes that are able to sustain pH gradients of 10 for a minimum of eight days. The cells' endo-lysomal compartments separate gradients between three and one, while we generated a pH gradient of threefold as great. This feature clearly is of great importance for applications as nanoreactors and drug-delivery systems where separating different aqueous volumes at the nanoscale level is an essential requirement.

References

May 15, 1999·Science·B M DischerD A Hammer
May 25, 2001·The Journal of Biological Chemistry·J C MathaiM L Zeidel
Jul 23, 2004·The Journal of Chemical Physics·Anja RumpleckerChristian Mayer
Jun 16, 2005·Journal of the American Chemical Society·Giuseppe Battaglia, Anthony J Ryan
Dec 28, 2005·Nature Materials·Giuseppe Battaglia, Anthony J Ryan
May 17, 2006·Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids·Giuseppe BattagliaSalvador Tomas
Sep 24, 2015·Scientific Reports·Jennifer BainSarah S Staniland

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Citations

Mar 19, 2020·Chembiochem : a European Journal of Chemical Biology·Christin KleinebergTanja Vidaković-Koch
Nov 13, 2018·Biomaterials·Laura Rodríguez-ArcoGiuseppe Battaglia

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