Using Small Molecules to Prepare Vesicles with Designable Shapes and Sizes via Frame-Guided Assembly Strategy

Yuanchen Dong; Zhongqiang Yang; Dongsheng Liu

doi:10.1002/smll.201500240

Using Small Molecules to Prepare Vesicles with Designable Shapes and Sizes via Frame-Guided Assembly Strategy

Small. 2015 Aug;11(31):3768-71. doi: 10.1002/smll.201500240. Epub 2015 May 4.

Authors

Yuanchen Dong¹, Zhongqiang Yang¹, Dongsheng Liu¹

Affiliation

¹ Key Laboratory of Organic Optoelectronics and Molecular Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.

PMID: 25939398
DOI: 10.1002/smll.201500240

Abstract

Following the principle of frame-guided assembly (FGA), a small amphiphilic molecule, sodium dodecyl sulfate, is shown to form vesicles with cholesterol as the leading hydrophobic group. These findings not only demonstrate the generality of the FGA but also provide a clue to understand the formation mechanism of the cell membrane, and even the origin of life.

Keywords: amphiphiles; frame guided assembly; leading hydrophobic groups; small molecule; vesicles.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cholesterol / chemistry*
DNA, Single-Stranded / chemistry
Gold / chemistry
Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
Lipid Bilayers / chemistry
Metal Nanoparticles / chemistry
Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
Nanotechnology / methods*
Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate / chemistry
Temperature

Substances

DNA, Single-Stranded
Lipid Bilayers
Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate
Gold
Cholesterol