Hydrogelation Induced by Change in Hydrophobicity of Amino Acid Side Chain in Fmoc-Functionalised Amino Acid: Significance of Sulfur on Hydrogelation

Samala Murali Mohan Reddy, Pramod Dorishetty, Abhijit P. Deshpande, Ganesh Shanmugam

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although a few Fmoc-functionalised amino acids (Fmoc-AA) are capable of forming hydrogels, the exact levels of hydrophobicity, hydrogen bonding, and ionic nature of the Fmoc-AA gelator required for hydrogel formation remains uncertain. Here, the role of hydrophobicity of amino acid side chain, particularly in the formation of hydrogel, was studied by using Fmoc-norleucine (Fmoc-Nle) and its simple sulfur analogues such as Fmoc-methionine (Fmoc-M) in which the γCH2 of Fmoc-Nle is replaced by sulfur. Results indicate that Fmoc-M forms thermally reversible hydrogels in water (pH ca. 6.8), whereas Fmoc-Nle fails to display any gelation under similar conditions. The result suggests that substitution of the sulfur atom likely reduces the hydrophobicity of the alkyl side chain in Fmoc-Nle to the optimum level, which is sufficient to induce supramolecular hydrogelation in Fmoc-M. The difference in the self-association behaviour of Fmoc-M and Fmoc-Nle emphasise the importance of weak noncovalent interaction between side chains (in addition to the hydrogen-bond and aromatic interactions) to stabilise supramolecular self-assembly of Fmoc-functionalised compounds. The current observations provide a lead to the design of new sulfur-based low molecular weight gelators for various potential applications.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2170-2180
Number of pages11
JournalChemPhysChem
Volume17
Issue number14
DOIs
StatePublished - 18 Jul 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • amino acids
  • gels
  • mechanical properties
  • self-assembly
  • sulfur

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

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