Date of Award

5-2024

Degree Type

Honors College Thesis

Academic Program

Polymer Science and Engineering BS

Department

Polymers and High Performance Materials

First Advisor

Tristan Clemons, Ph.D.

Advisor Department

Polymers and High Performance Materials

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases along with various other disease conditions are characterized by an upregulation in reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can overwhelm homeostatic processes in the body, resulting in cellular apoptosis and severe oxidative damage. The lack of clinically approved treatments to regulate or alleviate this elevated ROS presence underscores the need for novel therapeutic strategies. While antioxidants promote cell rescue through ROS scavenging, their clinical translation is impeded by insufficient bioavailable concentrations at the source of injury. The opportunity to apply antioxidant supramolecular polymers of peptide amphiphiles (PAs) is an exciting prospect of research to combat corresponding issues. For this work, a PA monomer was designed and synthesized to incorporate antioxidant activity, modelled off the potent and natural antioxidant, glutathione. PAs were characterized for molecular weight and purity using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. The supramolecular polymerization of these PAs was assessed by a Nile Red assay to determine the critical aggregation concentration of the PA monomers, circular dichroism to assess internal ordering of the PA molecules upon assembly, and transmission electron microscopy to assess nanofiber morphology. The antioxidant capabilities were probed using a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay. Finally, the cellular viability and efficacy in ROS mitigation of the antioxidant supramolecular polymers assessed in the in vitro setting. Taken together, these results provide exciting proof-of-principle support of antioxidant supramolecular polymers as a potential new therapeutic approach to target the damaging effects of ROS in disease and injury.

Included in

Biomaterials Commons

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