Based on the concept of covalent capture of supramolecular assemblies, the idea of mechanical encapsulation is exploited for the protection and delivery of peptidebased molecules. This thesis aims to establish a general method for the encapsulation of peptides within a rotaxane structure, as well as studying their mode of release under specific stimuli. The synthesis of such structures, relying on the elongation of short peptido[2]rotaxanes, is applied to the design of rotaxane peptide carriers whose function is to protect against biological degradation and release peptides under a biological stimulus. These molecules are composed of a rotaxane-encapsulated peptide bearing a biodegradable stopper, the enzyme-specific cleavage of which triggers peptide release, via ‘dethreading’. The synthesis and in vitro assessment of rotaxane carriers as agents for anti-cancer therapy will be described in detail. The future challenges and potential applications of the proposed systems will be addressed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:562845 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Viterisi, Aurélien |
| Contributors | Leigh, David |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/4077 |
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