| POLYMERS Vol.58 No.9 |
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COVER STORY
Polymers with Unique Structures as Biofunctional Materials |
| Polymer Science and I: A Personal Account |
| Reason for Being | Shoko Sugiyama ONO |
| <Abstract>I reviewed here my experiences as a researcher in Mitsui Chemicals, Japan and CNRS, France. I found that “identity” is very important in research and is the reason for our being in a company and a society. |
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| Encounter is Treasure for My Life | Tadamasa NEMOTO |
| <Abstract>This essay describes various encounters throughout my life in laboratories that provided me with precious treasure and pleasure. |
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| COVER STORY: Highlight Reviews |
| Peptide Supramolecular Assembly | Shunsaku KIMURA, Akira MAKINO, Motoki UEDA and Tatsuya KANZAKI |
| <Abstract>Molecular organization in the living system, which is crucial for life,
is characterized as an energy-dissipative open system. On the other hand,
molecular assemblies, which are formed under the concept of supramolecular
chemistry originated by Lehn, are formed at or near thermodynamically equilibrated
conditions. With an aim to bridge between these two types of molecular
organizations, we present a novel idea of structural modules, which are
metastable assemblies to connect with other modules under suitable stimulus.
A three-way peptide nanotube and a dumbbell-shaped conjugate of peptide
nanotube and liposome are introduced as examples for the molecular organization
based on the structural module concept. Keywords: Self-Organization / Supramolecular Chemistry / Dissipative Structure / Nanotube / Helical Peptide / Molecular Assembly / Module |
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| Dendrimers as Biofunctional Nanocapsules | Kenji KONO |
| <Abstract>Dendrimers are polymers having globular shapes and highly and regularly
branched backbones. Dendrimers exhibit various properties that conventional
polymers with a linear structure do not have. The unique features of dendrimers
make them very attractive as biomaterials. This article focuses on the
ability of dendrimers to encapsulate guest molecules. The development of
dendrimer-based biomaterials in mind, designs of dendrimers with bio-related
functions are described. Keywords: Dendrimer / Biomaterial / Drug Delivery System / Stimuli-Sensitive / Host-Guest |
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| A Novel β-1,3-Glucan/Polynucleotide Complex and its Application to Functional Oligonucleotides Delivery | Kazuo SAKURAI |
| <Abstract>Schizophyllan (SPG) is a natural β-(1→3)-D-glucan and can form a complex
with polynucleotides. This paper reviews our recent work including structural
analysis of the complex with microscopy and computer chemistry, and potential
application to a drug delivery system to specifically transport functional
oligonucleotides such as antisense DNA and CpG DNA to antigen presenting
cells. Keywords: β-(1→3)-D-glucan / Complex / Polynucleotides / DDS / Dectin-1 |
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| Construction of “Specific” Biointerfaces | Takeshi SERIZAWA and Hisao MATSUNO |
| <Abstract>It is significant to structurally regulate interfaces between artificial
materials and organisms. Herein, we introduce novel methods to construct
the interfaces by using peptides that specifically bind to the material
surfaces. The peptides can be identified by affinity-based selection for
the materials from biologically constructed peptide libraries. Keywords: Biointerface / Interaction / Specificity / Synthetic Polymer / Peptide / Phage Display / Library / Affinity Selection |
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| Biofunctional Supramolecular Hydrogel | Masato IKEDA and Itaru HAMACHI |
| <Abstract>Supramolecular hydrogel has attracted much attention because of not only
its unique self-assembly process and nano-structure but also its diverse
functions, which can be installed by precise molecular design. This review
introduces recent advances of biofunctional supramolecular hydrogels. Keywords: Supramolecular Hydrogel / Self-assembly / Biomaterial |
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| Biomaterials Design Utilizing Dynamic Properties of Polyrotaxanes | Nobuhiko YUI |
| <Abstract>Interlocked structure of cyclic compounds and a linear polymeric chain
as seen in polyrotaxanes is very important in the design of biomaterials
which can modulate biological interactions. The mobility of cyclic compounds
along the chain and/or the dissociation of supramolecular structures by
the terminal cleavage can be promising when considering the enhancement
of multivalent interaction and possible application for intracellular gene
delivery. Keywords: Polyrotaxane / Cyclodextrin / Polyethylene Glycol / Multivalent Interaction / Gene Delivery |
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| Front-Line Polymer Science |
| Viscoelastic Phase Separation: Mechanically Dominated Structural Evolution | Hajime TANAKA |
| <Abstract>Viscoelastic phase separation is commonly observed in dynamically asymmetric
mixtures whose components have very different dynamics. Such dynamic asymmetry
leads to mechanically dominated pattern evolution and often results in
the transient formation of network and cellular structures of the slow-component-rich
phase. Materials having such structures are characterized by their lightweight
and high mechanical strength, and thus very useful. Here we describe the
physical principle of viscoelastic phase separation and its potential applications
to the morphological control of materials spanning from soft to hard matter.
We note that viscoelastic phase separation is the most general form of
phase separation, which covers all the known types of phase separation
as its special cases. We also mention an intrinsic link between viscoelastic
phase separation and material fracture: Both of them can be regarded as
mechanically dominated structural evolution under dynamic asymmetry. Keywords: Phase Separation / Critical Phenomena / Soft Matter / Dynamic Asymmetry / Pattern Formation / Network Structure / Cellular Structure |
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