Conformational Changes of Poly(Maleic Anhydride-alt-styrene) Modified with Amino Acids in an Aqueous Medium and Their Effect on Cytocompatibility and Hemolytic Response

Maine, Arianne; Tamayo, Laura; Leiva, Angel; Gonzalez, Alex; Rios, Hernan E.; Rojas-Romo, Carlos; Jara, Paul; Araya-Duran, Ingrid; Gonzalez-Nilo, Fernando; Yazdani-Pedram, Mehrdad; Santana, Paula; Leal, Matias; Gonzalez, Nicolas; Briones, Ximena; Villalobos, Valeria; et. al.

Abstract

The conformational changes of poly-(maleic anhydride-alt-styrene) (PSMA) modified with different amino acids (PSMA-Aa) were studied in an aqueous medium as a function of ionic strength and pH. The specific viscosity of PSMA-Aa decreased with increasing salt concentration due to a more compact conformation. There was a decrease in surface tension with increasing concentrations of the modified polyelectrolyte having a greater effect for the PSMA modified with l-phenylalanine at pH 7.0, demonstrating a greater surface-active character. The conformational changes were also confirmed by molecular dynamics studies, indicating that PSMA-Aa exhibits a compact structure at pH 4.0 and a more extended structure at pH 7.0. On the other hand, the conformational changes of PSMA-Aa were related to its biological response, where the higher surface-active character of the PSMA modified with l-phenylalanine correlates very well with the higher hemolytic activity observed in red blood cells, in which the surface-active capacity supports lytic potency in erythrocytes. The cytocompatibility assays indicated that there were no significant cytotoxic effects of the PSMA-Aa. Additionally, in solvent-accessible surface area studies, it was shown that the carboxylate groups of the PSMA modified with l-phenylalanine are more exposed to the solvent at pH 7.0 and high salt concentrations, which correlates with lower fluorescence intensity, reflecting a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. It is concluded that the study of the conformational changes in PE modified with amino acids is essential for their use as biomaterials and relevant to understanding the possible effects of PE modified with amino acids in biological systems.

Más información

Título según WOS: ID WOS:001127536200001 Not found in local WOS DB
Título de la Revista: ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS
Volumen: 6
Número: 12
Editorial: AMER CHEMICAL SOC
Fecha de publicación: 2023
Página de inicio: 5333
Página final: 5348
DOI:

10.1021/acsabm.3c00603

Notas: ISI