biostudies-literatureNegron LMNational Institute of General Medical SciencesNIGMS NIH HHS2283-90https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC4896646biostudies-literatureUnknown32(10)Nanoflowers (NFs) are flowered-shaped particles with overall sizes or features in the nanoscale. Beyond their pleasing aesthetics, NFs have found a number of applications ranging from catalysis, to sensing, to drug delivery. Compared to inorganic based NFs, their organic and hybrid counterparts are relatively underdeveloped mostly because of the lack of a reliable and versatile method for their construction. We report here a method for constructing NFs from a wide variety of biologically relevant molecules (guests), ranging from small molecules, like doxorubicin, to biomacromolecules, like various proteins and plasmid DNA. The method relies on the encapsulation of the guests within a hierarchically structured particle made from supramolecular G-quadruplexes. The size and overall flexibility of the guests dictate the broad morphological features of the resulting NFs, specifically, small and rigid guests favor the formation of NFs with spiky petals, while large and/or flexible guests promote NFs with wide petals. The results from experiments using confocal fluorescence microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy provides the basis for the proposed mechanism for the NF formation.Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloidsOrganic Nanoflowers from a Wide Variety of Molecules Templated by a Hierarchical Supramolecular Scaffold.PMC4896646P20 GM 103642R25 GM061151P20 GM103642P20GM 103642SC1 GM0939945SC1GM0939945R25GM061151Dieppa-Matos DMadera-Soto BOrtiz-Quiles EONegron LMDiaz TLRivera JMfalseOrganic Nanoflowers from a Wide Variety of Molecules Templated by a Hierarchical Supramolecular Scaffold.Nanoflowers (NFs) are flowered-shaped particles with overall sizes or features in the nanoscale. Beyond their pleasing aesthetics, NFs have found a number of applications ranging from catalysis, to sensing, to drug delivery. Compared to inorganic based NFs, their organic and hybrid counterparts are relatively underdeveloped mostly because of the lack of a reliable and versatile method for their construction. We report here a method for constructing NFs from a wide variety of biologically relevant molecules (guests), ranging from small molecules, like doxorubicin, to biomacromolecules, like various proteins and plasmid DNA. The method relies on the encapsulation of the guests within a hierarchically structured particle made from supramolecular G-quadruplexes. The size and overall flexibility of the guests dictate the broad morphological features of the resulting NFs, specifically, small and rigid guests favor the formation of NFs with spiky petals, while large and/or flexible guests promote NFs with wide petals. The results from experiments using confocal fluorescence microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy provides the basis for the proposed mechanism for the NF formation.2016-01-01T00:00:00Z2016 Mar2025-04-04T02:03:59.574Z2019-03-27T02:15:31ZS-EPMC48966462690111010.1021/acs.langmuir.5b03946