Polypeptide electrospun nanofibrils of defined composition
View Patent ↗Electrospun nanofibrils and methods of preparing the same are provided. The electrospun nanofibrils comprise at least one polypeptide. A polypeptide can be dissolved in a solution, and the solution can be electrospun into a nanofibril. The solution can be added to a syringe or syringe pump, and an electric field can be applied to electrospin the at least one polypeptide.
1. A method of preparing an electrospun nanofibril, comprising:
dissolving at least one polypeptide in a solvent to form a solution; and
electrospinning the solution to form the electrospun nanofibril,
wherein the at least one polypeptide is poly(L-glutamate, tyrosine).
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the nanofibril is less than a micron.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein electrospinning the solution comprises electrospinning the solution in an electric field of from about 10 2 V/m to about 7×10 5 V/m.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the solvent is water.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one polypeptide is present in the solution at a concentration in a range of from 1% to 65% (w/v).
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one polypeptide is present in the solution at a concentration in a range of from 10% to 55% (w/v).
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one polypeptide is present in the solution at a concentration in a range of from about 50% to about 55% (w/v).
8. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one polypeptide is dissolved in the solvent at a temperature in a range of from 20° C. to 30° C.
9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the solvent is water.
10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one polypeptide satisfies the opposite charges criterion.
11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein electrospinning the solution comprises continuously electrospinning the solution at a flow rate in a range of from 1 μL/min to 100 μL/min.
12. The method according to claim 9 , wherein electrospinning the solution comprises continuously electrospinning the solution at a flow rate in a range of from 1 μL/min to 100 μL/min.
13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the at least one polypeptide satisfies the following equation: (non-polar surface area−polar surface area)/DP <100 square angstroms/residue, wherein DP is the degree of polymerization of the at least one polypeptide.
14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one polypeptide satisfies the opposite charges criterion.
15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the degree of polymerization of the at least one polypeptide is at least 25.
16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the degree of polymerization of the at least one polypeptide is at least 25.
17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one polypeptide satisfies the following equation: (non-polar surface area−polar surface area)/DP <100 square angstroms/residue, wherein DP is the degree of polymerization of the at least one polypeptide.
18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the poly(L-glutamate, tyrosine) is dissolved in the solution to a concentration in a range of from about 50% to about 55% (w/v), and wherein electrospinning the solution comprises electrospinning the solution in an electric field of about 1.2×10 5 V/m.