Microenvironment pH-Induced Selective Cell Death for Potential Cancer Therapy Using Nanofibrous Self-Assembly of a Peptide Amphiphile

Autor: Tatsuo Maruyama, Sayuki Kanemitsu, Shota Yamamoto, Yuki Nishida, Atsuo Tamura, Takashi Aoi, Tomoyuki Morimoto, Kenta Morita, Kanon Nishimura
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Biomacromolecules. 22:2524-2531
ISSN: 1526-4602
1525-7797
Popis: Self-assembly of synthetic molecules has been drawing broad attention as a novel emerging approach in drug discovery. Here, we report selective cell death induced by a novel peptide amphiphile that self-assembles to form entangled nanofibers (hydrogel) based on intracellular pH (pHi). We found that a palmitoylated hexapeptide (C16-VVAEEE) formed a hydrogel below pH 7. The formation of the nanofibrous self-assembly was responsive to a small pH change around pH 7. The cytotoxicity of C16-VVAEEE was correlated with pHi of cells. Microscope observation demonstrated the self-assembly of C16-VVAEEE inside HEK293 cells. In vivo experiments revealed that the transcutaneous administration of C16-VVAEEE showed remarkable anti-tumor activity. This study proposes that distinct microenvironment inside living cells can be used as a trigger for the intracellular self-assembly of a peptide amphiphile, which provide a new clue to drug discovery.
Databáze: OpenAIRE