Amino acids: Building blocks for the synthesis of greener amphiphiles

Amino acid-based amphiphiles have attracted much attention as environmentally friendly surfactants because of their biodegradability, low toxicity and the use of renewable sources of raw materials for their syntheses. With respect to molecular design, the amino acid-based architecture allows the possibilities of multiple structures of amphiphiles with varying head groups and chain lengths. This review focuses on the synthetic strategies for the development of various types of surfactants derived from amino acids. Their properties in terms of surface, biological and catalytic activities are illustrated.     

Gemini surfactants from natural amino acids

In this review, we report the most important contributions in the structure, synthesis, physicochemical (surface adsorption, aggregation and phase behaviour) and biological properties (toxicity, antimicrobial activity and biodegradation) of Gemini natural amino acid-based surfactants, and some potential applications, with an emphasis on the use of these surfactants as non-viral delivery system agents. Gemini surfactants derived from basic (Arg, Lys), neutral (Ser, Ala, Sar), acid (Asp) and sulphur containing amino acids (Cys) as polar head groups, and Geminis with amino acids/peptides in the spacer chain are reviewed.     

The Petroleum Industry Surfactants Synthesized from Fish Oils

Biodegradable surfactants for the petroleum industry have been synthesized by the sulfurization of fish oils. A qualitative composition analysis of surfactants was conducted by FTIR spectroscopy that showed the presence of sulfonic acid groups in the samples. Previously, several samples of the technical fish oils (fish processing waste) have been studied with regard to their use for the synthesis of biodegradable surfactants. It has been shown by gas–liquid chromatography, FTIR spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry method that samples under study contain a large amount of saturated and nonsaturated fatty acids with hydrocarbon radicals comprising from 16 to 22 carbon atoms. The results reveal that the concentration of oleic acid approaches to 15 wt%. Fish oils with a high content of free fatty acids were used as the basis for the synthesis of technical, environmentally friendly surfactants that can be applied in the petroleum industry.     

Synthesis,Properties, and Applications of Amino Acids Based Surfactants: A Review

Amino acids based surfactants belong to the class of surfactants with high biodegradability, low toxicity and excellent surface active properties. They possess excellent emulsifying, detergency properties and form fine lather. These surfactants are environment friendly, mild to skin and eyes, and have hard water tolerance. This article reviews types, synthesis, various surface properties such as cmc (critical micelle concentration), surface tension, phase behavior, Krafft temperature, and interfacial adsorption of these surfactants. The biological properties such as antimicrobial activity, aquatic toxicity, biodegradability and hemolytic activity have also been focused. The various applications of amino acid based surfactants in the area of life sciences such as gene transfection, formation of liposomes, and drug delivery systems have also been reviewed.     

Studies on SDLC (Sodium Dilauraminocystine) and SDMC (Sodium Dimyristaminocystine) Gemini Surfactants

The present work reports the synthesis and evaluation of surface active properties of amino acid-based gemini surfactants, namely, sodium dilauraminocystine (SDLC) and sodium dimyristaminocystine (SDMC) derived from L-cystine and fatty acids. The effect of reaction variables like molar ratio of raw materials and temperature has been studied for the synthesis of these gemini surfactants. In preparation of these gemini surfactants, fatty acids (lauric/myristic) were reacted with thionyl chloride to obtain respective acid chlorides (lauroyl/myristoyl). These acid chlorides were further reacted with L-cystine at different reaction conditions to get amino acid based-gemini surfactants. The study revealed that 1:2.5 molar ratio of reactants, namely, L-cystine and lauroyl/myristoyl chloride and 10–15° reaction temperature resulted in maximum yield of amino acid-based gemini surfactants (SDLC and SDMC). Surface active properties of synthesized gemini surfactants (SDLC and SDMC) were also compared with their corresponding monomeric units, namely, sodium lauroyl cysteine (SLC) and sodium myristoyl cysteine (SMC), respectively. The results demonstrated that gemini surfactants (SDLC and SDMC) had better surface active properties than their corresponding monomeric units. The structures of synthesized amino acid-based gemini surfactants were also confirmed by FTIR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and ESI-MS spectral data.     

Gemini表面活性剂合成进展

系统总结了近百种Gemini表面活性剂的合成路线和方法,并且按照其结构特点分门别类地进行比较和归纳,对今后Gemini表面活性剂的合成发展方向提出了一些看法,这对促进此类新颖表面活性剂的工业化进程将具有指导意义。     

纤维素类高分子表面活性剂

纤维素类高分子表面活性剂因其具有原料丰富,可生物降解,使用安全性好等一般合成高分子表面生剂所难以具备的优点,目前正引起人们的广泛关注。本文综述了近２０年来其主要研究进展,内容涉及含长链烷基,含碳氟基团和含双亲链段３类纤维素类表面活性剂。     

氨基酸基Gemini表面活性剂的研究进展

氨基酸基Gemini表面活性剂因具有高表面活性、独特的流变性能和优异的生物相容性等诸多优点受到科研工作者的青睐。本文按照氨基酸类型和亲水基种类对其进行归纳和总结,综述了氨基酸基Gemini表面活性剂的合成、性能和应用研究进展,指出开发简单合成步骤制备新型结构的高光学纯度的氨基酸基Gemini表面活性剂、探讨手性碳原子的立体构型对于其自组装行为的影响是今后的研究重点。     

Bola型表面活性剂合成及其应用*

介绍了Bola型表面活性剂独特的结构特征与性质,概述了由Bola型两亲分子在气液界面自组装形成的单分子膜及囊泡的特征。重点综述了Bola型表面活性剂的合研究进展,并对其在纳米材料、药物缓释、生物矿化、光化学修饰及抑止金属腐蚀等方面的应用作了介绍。最后对其研究前景作了展望。     

Diversity-oriented synthesis of peptide-boronic acids by a versatile building-block approach

A new strategy for the synthesis of peptide-boronic acids (PBAs) is presented. 20 Fmoc-protected natural amino acids with orthogonal side-chain protection were straightforwardly converted into their corresponding boron analogues in three simple steps. Subsequent immobilisation on commercially available 1-glycerol polystyrene resin and on-resin transformations yielded a diversity of sequences in high purity. The strategy eliminates various synthetic obstacles such as multi-step routes, low yields, and inseparable impurities. The described method comprises great potential to be implemented in automated combinatorial approaches by markedly facilitating the access to a variety of PBAs. The coupling of amino acids or other building blocks with α-aminoboronates allows the creation of hybrid molecules with significant potential in various scientific disciplines, such as medicinal chemistry, structural biology, and materials science.

Decarboxylative borylation and monophasic transesterification yields Fmoc-α-aminoboronates for solid-phase peptide synthesis.     

Synthesis,Characterization and Evaluation of Peptide Nanostructures for Biomedical Applications

There is a challenging need for the development of new alternative nanostructures that can allow the coupling and/or encapsulation of therapeutic/diagnostic molecules while reducing their toxicity and improving their circulation and in-vivo targeting. Among the new materials using natural building blocks, peptides have attracted significant interest because of their simple structure, relative chemical and physical stability, diversity of sequences and forms, their easy functionalization with (bio)molecules and the possibility of synthesizing them in large quantities. A number of them have the ability to self-assemble into nanotubes, -spheres, -vesicles or -rods under mild conditions, which opens up new applications in biology and nanomedicine due to their intrinsic biocompatibility and biodegradability as well as their surface chemical reactivity via amino- and carboxyl groups. In order to obtain nanostructures suitable for biomedical applications, the structure, size, shape and surface chemistry of these nanoplatforms must be optimized. These properties depend directly on the nature and sequence of the amino acids that constitute them. It is therefore essential to control the order in which the amino acids are introduced during the synthesis of short peptide chains and to evaluate their in-vitro and in-vivo physico-chemical properties before testing them for biomedical applications. This review therefore focuses on the synthesis, functionalization and characterization of peptide sequences that can self-assemble to form nanostructures. The synthesis in batch or with new continuous flow and microflow techniques will be described and compared in terms of amino acids sequence, purification processes, functionalization or encapsulation of targeting ligands, imaging probes as well as therapeutic molecules. Their chemical and biological characterization will be presented to evaluate their purity, toxicity, biocompatibility and biodistribution, and some therapeutic properties in vitro and in vivo. Finally, their main applications in the biomedical field will be presented so as to highlight their importance and advantages over classical nanostructures.     

Multifunctional amphiphilic siloxane architectures using sequential,metal‐free click ligations

Polysiloxanes or silicones are a class of macromolecules widely used in commerce because of their exceptional properties. Their derivatization leads to functional silicones with added value and properties, such as surfactants and liquid crystals, among many others. However, most silicone surfactants are monofunctional, owing to the synthetic challenges associated with the introduction of multiple functional groups onto the hydrolytically sensitive siloxane backbone. Thus, general routes to surface active silicones with multiple and different functional groups are not available. Herein, a synthetic strategy is reported that permits sequential derivatization of silicones with hydrophiles including oligo(ethylene oxides), carboxylic acids, and bromoalkylesters using a simple metal‐free Click reaction: the process benefits from mild conditions, extremely high yields and does not generate any by‐products, allowing the facile preparation of di‐ and trifunctional silicones that could not be readily obtained using traditional methods. The products exhibit amphiphilic characteristics as demonstrated through interfacial tension measurements that yielded the critical aggregation concentration of selected compounds. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

pH-Sensitive surfactants from lysine: assessment of their cytotoxicity and environmental behavior

The toxicity and environmental behavior of new pH-sensitive surfactants from lysine are presented. Three different chemical structures are studied: surfactants with one amino acid and one alkyl chain, surfactants with two amino acids on the polar head and one alkyl chain, and gemini surfactants. The pH sensitivity of these compounds can be tuned by modifying their chemical structures. Cytotoxicity has been evaluated using erythrocytes and fibroblast cells. The toxic effects against these cells depend on the hydrophobicity of the molecules as well as their cationic charge density. The effect of hydrophobicity and cationic charge density on toxicity is different for each type of cells. For erythrocytes, the toxicity increases as hydrophobicity and charge density increases. Nevertheless, for fibroblasts cationic charge density affects cytotoxicity in the opposite way: the higher charge density, the lower the toxicity. The effect of the pH on hemolysis has been evaluated in detail. The aquatic toxicity was established using Daphnia magna . All surfactants yielded EC(50) values considerably higher than that reported for cationic surfactants based on quaternary ammonium groups. Finally, their biodegradability was evaluated using the CO(2) headspace test (ISO 14593). These lysine derivatives showed high levels of biodegradation under aerobic conditions and can be classified as "readily biodegradable compounds".     

Dicationic Surfactants with Glycine Counter Ions for Oligonucleotide Transportation

Gemini surfactants are good candidates to bind, protect, and deliver nucleic acids. Herein, the concept of amino acids (namely glycine) as counter ions of gemini surfactants for gene therapy application was explored. This study was conducted on DNA and RNA oligomers and two quaternary bis‐imidazolium salts, having 2,5‐dioxahexane and 2,8‐dioxanonane spacer groups. The toxicity level of surfactants was assessed by an MTT assay, and their ability to bind nucleic acids was tested through electrophoresis. The nucleic acid conformation was established based on circular dichroism and infrared spectroscopic analyses. The structures of the formed complexes were characterized by small‐angle scattering of synchrotron radiation. Both studied surfactants appear to be suitable for gene therapy; however, although they vary by only three methylene groups in the spacer, they differ in binding ability and toxicity. The tested oligonucleotides maintained their native conformations upon surfactant addition and the studied lipoplexes formed a variety of structures. In systems based on a 2,5‐dioxahexane spacer, a hexagonal phase was observed for DNA–surfactant complexes and a micellar phase was dominant with RNA. For the surfactant with a 2,8‐dioxanonane spacer group, the primitive cubic phase prevailed.     

Separation of cationic analytes by nonionic micellar electrokinetic chromatography using polyoxyethylene lauryl ether surfactants with different polyoxyethylene length

Although nonionic micellar electrokinetic chromatography is used for the separation of charged compounds that are not easily separated by capillary zone electrophoresis, the effect of the hydrophilic moiety of the nonionic surfactant has not been studied well. In this study, the separation of ultraviolet‐absorbing amino acids was studied in electrokinetic chromatography using neutral polyoxyethylene lauryl ether surfactants (Adekatol) in the separation solution. The effect of the polyethylene moiety (the number of repeating units was from 6.5 to 50) of the hydrophobic test amino acids (methionine, tryptophan, and tysorine) was studied using a 10 cm effective length capillary. The separation mechanism was based on hydrophobic as well as hydrogen bonding interactions at the micellar surface, which was made of the polyoxyethylene moiety. The length of the polyoxyethylene moiety of the surfactants was not important in nonionic micellar electrokinetic chromatography mode.     

Front Cover: Katritzky Salts for the Synthesis of Unnatural Amino Acids and Late-Stage Functionalization of Peptides (Eur. J. Org. Chem. 12/2023)

Peptide drug discovery often benefits from the large structural diversity permitted by unnatural amino acids (UAAs). Indeed, numerous approved peptide drugs include UAAs in their sequences. Therefore, innovative chemical approaches either to synthesize UAAs or to allow late-stage functionalization of peptides are emerging themes in peptide drug discovery. Thanks to the recent advances in deaminative strategies using alkylpyridiniums salts, often referred to as Katritzky salts, a variety of radical alkylation methods have been developed. In recent years the use of Katritzky salts have become popular in peptide chemistry due to their ease of preparation from a primary amine, which is a predominant functional group in amino acids. This review highlights the progress that has been made by using Katritzky salts in the synthesis of UAAs, late-stage peptide functionalization, and peptide macrocyclization.     

Glycosamino acids: building blocks for combinatorial synthesis-implications for drug discovery

The unique functions of carbohydrates, including energy storage, transport, modulation of protein function, intercellular adhesion, signal transduction, malignant transformation, and viral and bacterial cell-surface recognition, underlie a significant pharmaceutical potential. The development of combinatorial carbohydrate libraries in this important arena has been slow, in contrast to the rapid development of combinatorial synthesis in the area of small-molecule libraries and biopolymers. This is largely as a result of the inherent difficulties presented by this class of polyfunctional compounds. Nevertheless, strategies to cope with these problems have been devised over the past seven years, and combinatorial carbohydrate libraries have appeared. The incorporation of an amino acid moiety into the carbohydrate scaffold generates glycosamino acids, which are attractive building blocks for the preparation of carbohydrate-based libraries because of the well-established automated peptide synthesis. Derivatization as well as homo- and heterooligomerization of glycosamino acids can be used to create novel structures with unique properties. Glycosamino acids are hybrid structures of carbohydrates and amino acids which can be utilized to generate potential glycomimetics and peptidomimetics. The incorporation of glycosamino acids into peptides allows the engineering of carbohydrate-binding sites into synthetic polypeptides, which may also influence the pharmacokinetic and dynamic properties of the peptides. Furthermore, sugar-amino acid hybrids offer a tremendous structural and functional diversity, which is largely unexplored and requires combinatorial strategies for efficient exploitation. This article provides an overview of previous work on glycosamino acids and discusses their use in combinatorial synthesis and drug discovery. Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http://www.angewandte.com or from the author.     

Transformation of Pectins into Non-Ionic or Anionic Surfactants Using a One-Pot and Cascade Mode Process

The present article describes the one-pot synthesis of double- and single-tailed surfactants by a cascade process that involves the hydrolysis/butanolysis of pectins into butyl galacturonate monosaccharides followed by transesterification/transacetalisation processes with fatty alcohols, and subsequent aqueous basic and acid treatments. The cascade mode allows the depolymerisation to proceed more efficiently, and the purification conditions are optimised to make the production of single-tailed surfactants more manufacturable. These products in a pure form or as mixtures with alkyl glycosides resulting from butanolysis and transglycosylation of pectin-derived hexoses, exhibit attractive surface-tension properties, especially for the n-oleyl ᴅ-galactosiduronic acid products. In addition, a readily biodegradability and an absence of aquatic ecotoxicity are shown for the galacturonic acid derivatives possessing an oleyl alkyl chain at the anomeric position.     

高分子表面活性剂的合成

介绍了高分子表面活性剂的合成方法及其不同于低分子表面活性剂的特点,重点从离子聚合、活性自由基聚合、缩合聚合、开环聚合、高分子化学反应、自由基胶束聚合等角度综述了近几-来高分子表面活性剂的合成研究进展.