ABSTRACT
The integration of discrete metal complexes has been attracting significant interest due to the potential of these materials for soft metal-metal interactions and supramolecular assembly. Additionally, block copolypeptide amphiphiles have been investigated concerning their capacity for self-assembly into structures such as nanoparticles, nanosheets and nanofibers. In this study, we combined these two concepts by investigating the self-assembly of discrete metal complexes in aqueous solution using block copolypeptides. Normally, discrete metal complexes such as [Au(CN)(2)]-, when molecularly dispersed in water, cannot interact with one another. Our results demonstrated, however, that the addition of block copolypeptide amphiphiles such as K(183)L(19) to [Au(CN)(2)]- solutions induced one-dimensional integration of the discrete metal complex, resulting in photoluminescence originating from multinuclear complexes with metal-metal interactions. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed a fibrous nanostructure with lengths and widths of approximately 100 and 20 nm, respectively, which grew to form advanced nanoarchitectures, including those resembling the weave patterns of Waraji (traditional Japanese straw sandals). This concept of combining block copolypeptide amphiphiles with discrete coordination compounds allows the design of flexible and functional supramolecular coordination systems in water.
Subject(s)
Gold/chemistry , Nanoparticles/chemistry , Nanoparticles/ultrastructure , Peptides/chemistry , Microscopy, Electron, Transmission , Particle SizeABSTRACT
A 44-year-old man undergoing radical excision of metastatic carcinoma of the mediastinal lymph node with unknown primary sites remains alive and disease-free 14 years after surgery. His cancer cells were positive for the Epstein-Barr virus, which may have been related to the oncogenesis of this tumor. This case is unique in the patient's long, disease-free survival and its positive presence of the Epstein-Barr virus.
