(306b) Synthesis and Characterization of Pegylated Self-Assembled Rosette Nanotubes As Drug Delivery Vehicles

Rosette nanotubes (RNTs), which are synthetic hybrid DNA nucleic-acid nanotubes, are self-assembled from fused guanine and cytosine motifs (GÎ?C motif). In RNTs, DNA Watson-Crick pairing takes place between the guanine side of the GÎ?C motif and its cytosine side. The spatial arrangement of these arrays leads them to form a six-membered supermacrocycle with high stability as a result of the extensive H-bond network and the inter-rosette Ï?-Ï? stacking interactions. In addition, using synthetic approaches, varied functional groups have been grafted to GÃ?C such as amino acid, peptides, and crown ethers. Upon self-assembly, the functional groups will display on the surface of RNTs which imparted important physical and chemical properties.

RNTs have found numerous medical applications as a result of their high biocompatibility and low toxicity.In order to improve the solubility in aqueous and pharmacokinetics behavior of RNTs as drug delivery vehicles, we have developed polyethylene glycol (PEG) covalently grafted on the surface of RNTs through organic synthesis and self-assembly, in which PEG is non-toxic and widely used to improve chemical and physical properties of drug delivery vehicles.As a result, the surfaces of RNTs have been grafted PEG chains. Here we will present our synthetic strategy and self-assembly studies of this new material as well as in vitro cytocompativility studies.