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Biocatalysis for Material Science and Drug Discoveries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Ferdinando Francesco Bruno ,
Lynne A Samuelson ,
Subhalakshmi Nagarajan ,
Ramaswamy Nagarajan  and
Jayant Kumar
Ferdinando Francesco Bruno
Affiliation:
Ferdinando_Bruno@uml.edu, US Army, Nanomaterial Science, Kansas St, Natick, MA, 01760, United States, 508-233-4533
Lynne A Samuelson
Affiliation:
Lynne_Samuelson@uml.edu, US Army, Nanomaterial Science, Kansas St, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Subhalakshmi Nagarajan
Affiliation:
Subhalakshmi_Nagarajan@student.uml.edu, UMASS Lowell, Chemistry Department, One University Ave, Lowell, MA, 01854, United States
Ramaswamy Nagarajan
Affiliation:
Ram@uml.edu, UMASS Lowell, Plastic Engineering, One University Ave, Lowell, MA, 01854, United States
Jayant Kumar
Affiliation:
Jayant_Kumar@uml.edu, UMASS Lowell, Physics Department, One University Ave, Lowell, MA, 01854, United States
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Abstract

A novel biomimetic route for the synthesis of conducting homopolymers and copolymers from aniline, phenol, pyrrole and 3,4-ethylenedioxy-thiophene in the presence of a polyelectrolyte, such as polystyrene sulfonate (SPS) is presented. A poly(ethylene glycol) modified hematin (PEG-Hematin) and the enzyme horseradish peroxidase (HRP) were used to catalyze the copolymerization of different monomers. UV-vis, FTIR, XPS, TGA and electrical conductivity studies for all complexes indicated the presence of a stable and electrically conductive form of these polymers. Furthermore, the presence of a polyelectrolyte, such as SPS, in this complex provides a unique combination of properties such as processability and water-solubility. Additionally catechins, the active compounds found in green tea, were polymerized and found to exhibit very interesting anti-carcinogenic properties. Here we report a unique enzymatic approach for the synthesis of water-soluble poly(catechins) with enhanced stability and potent anti-proliferative effects on human cancer cells in vitro. Various stereoisomers of catechin [(+), (-), (±)] and (-)-epicatechin have been biocatalytically polymerized using HRP in ethanol/buffer mixtures. This one-pot biocatalytic polymerization is carried out in ambient conditions yielding water-soluble poly(catechins). These synthesized poly(catechins) were tested for their growth inhibitory properties using a variety of normal and cancerous human epithelial cell lines. The poly(catechins) exhibit statistically significant greater growth inhibitory effects when compared to the monomers and exhibited specificity, inhibiting the growth of breast, colorectal and esophageal cancer cells while having little effect on normal epithelial cell growththus achieving a high therapeutic ratio. The synthesis, characterization and the growth inhibitory effects of these novel water-soluble poly(catechins) will also be presented.

Keywords

biological synthesis (chemical reaction)polymerizationmacromolecular structure
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1065: Symposium QQ – Electroactive and Conductive Polymers and Carbon Nanotubes for Biomedical Applications , 2007 , 1065-QQ01-06
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2008

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References

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