Self-Repair of Structure and Bioactivity in a Supramolecular Nanostructure.

ABSTRACT: Supramolecular nanostructures formed through self-assembly can have energy landscapes, which determine their structures and functions depending on the pathways selected for their synthesis and processing and on the conditions they are exposed to after their initial formation. We report here on the structural damage that occurs in supramolecular peptide amphiphile nanostructures, during freezing in aqueous media, and the self-repair pathways that restore their functions. We found that freezing converts long supramolecular nanofibers into shorter ones, compromising their ability to support cell adhesion, but a single heating and cooling cycle reverses the damage and rescues their bioactivity. Thermal energy in this cycle enables noncovalent interactions to reconfigure the nanostructures into

SUBMITTER: Chen CH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6320672 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature