Morphogenesis of starfish polymersomes

Jiawei Sun, Sandra Kleuskens, Jiabin Luan, Danni Wang, Shaohua Zhang, Wei Li, Gizem Uysal and Daniela A. Wilson ()
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Jiawei Sun: Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University
Sandra Kleuskens: Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University
Jiabin Luan: Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University
Danni Wang: Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University
Shaohua Zhang: Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University
Wei Li: Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University
Gizem Uysal: Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University
Daniela A. Wilson: Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract The enhanced membrane stability and chemical versatility of polymeric vesicles have made them promising tools in micro/nanoreactors, drug delivery, cell mimicking, etc. However, shape control over polymersomes remains a challenge and has restricted their full potential. Here we show that local curvature formation on the polymeric membrane can be controlled by applying poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) as a responsive hydrophobic unit, while adding salt ions to modulate the properties of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and its interaction with the polymeric membrane. Polymersomes with multiple arms are fabricated, and the number of arms could be tuned by salt concentration. Furthermore, the salt ions are shown to have a thermodynamic effect on the insertion of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) into the polymeric membrane. This controlled shape transformation can provide evidence for studying the role of salt ions in curvature formation on polymeric membranes and biomembranes. Moreover, potential stimuli-responsive non-spherical polymersomes can be good candidates for various applications, especially in nanomedicine.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39305-8

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