Date of Award
Spring 5-2015
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Polymers and High Performance Materials
Committee Chair
Sarah E. Morgan
Committee Chair Department
Polymers and High Performance Materials
Committee Member 2
Charles McCormick
Committee Member 2 Department
Polymers and High Performance Materials
Committee Member 3
Daniel Savin
Committee Member 3 Department
Polymers and High Performance Materials
Committee Member 4
Derek Patton
Committee Member 4 Department
Polymers and High Performance Materials
Committee Member 5
Vijay Rangachari
Committee Member 5 Department
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Abstract
The first section of this work describes the synthesis and characterization of novel glycopolymers synthesized to model GM1 gangliosides, a glycolipid found in neuronal cells. Glucose and galactose were attached to N-hydroxyethyl acrylamide, using chemistry that granted control over the stereochemistry at the C1’ carbon of each saccharide, and polymerized via aqueous RAFT (aRAFT). Homopolymers, targeting either 30 or 300 DP, and copolymers, with N-dimethyl acrylamide, were prepared as a glycopolymer platform for investigation of amyloid β (Aβ), a naturally occurring peptide associated with Alzheimer’s disease, aggregation. Aβ aggregation kinetics and aggregate size in the presence of glycopolymer were determined.
The second section of this work describes N-(3-guanadinopropyl)methacrylamide (GPMA) synthesis, homopolymerization and copolymerization with N-(3-aminopropyl) methacrylamide (APMA) using aRAFT. Many naturally occurring AMPs have an abundance of lysine and arginine. GPMA, an arginine mimic, was incorporated into our established acrylamide based antimicrobial peptide (AMP) platform with APMA, a lysine mimic, to increase the activity and selectivity of our AMPs over a wider range of bacteria. Antimicrobial activity, against E. coli, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa, and selectivity, against human red blood cells and cancer cells, was determined for the GPMA and APMA homopolymers and copolymers. The effect of GPMA counterion on activity and selectivity was also investigated.
Copyright
2015, Sarah Elizabeth Exley
Recommended Citation
Exley, Sarah Elizabeth, "Aqueous Raft Polymerization of Glycopolymers for Peptide Interaction Studies and Antimicrobial Peptide Mimics for Antimicrobial Activity and Selectivity Studies" (2015). Dissertations. 99.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/99