Chemical Engineering / Kimya Mühendisliği
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11147/14
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Article Citation - WoS: 5Citation - Scopus: 6Efficient Synthesis of Crgd Functionalized Polymers as Building Blocks of Targeted Drug Delivery Systems(Elsevier Ltd., 2018) Thankappan, Hajeeth; Zelçak, Aykut; Taykoz, Damla; Bulmuş, VolgaSynthetic peptides with cyclic arginine-glycine-aspartate motif (cRGD) play an important role in cell recognition and cell adhesion. cRGD-decorated soluble polymers and polymeric nanoparticles have been increasingly used for cell-specific delivery of antitumor drugs. While the significance of cRGD modification for tumor cell-specific targeting of polymeric carriers is well-accepted, straightforward procedures ensuring the fidelity of cRGD modification of polymeric systems are still lacking. Herein, we have reported an in-situ polymerization approach for synthesis of cRGD-end-functionalized well-defined polymers as potential building blocks of targeted drug delivery systems. A new cRGD peptide functionalized RAFT agent was synthesized as confirmed by MALDI-TOF and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The ability of this RAFT agent to control polymerizations was then tested using two different monomers oligoethyleneglycol acrylate and t-butyl methacrylate. The RAFT-controlled character of polymerizations and the living characteristic of the synthesized polymers were investigated through a series of kinetic experiments. The cytotoxicity and targeting capability of cRGD-functionalized OEGA polymers were investigated using cell lines expressing αvβ3 integrins at varying extents.Article Citation - WoS: 38Citation - Scopus: 38Ph- and Temperature-Responsive Amphiphilic Diblock Copolymers of 4-Vinylpyridine and Oligoethyleneglycol Methacrylate Synthesized by Raft Polymerization(Elsevier Ltd., 2014) Topuzogulları, Murat; Bulmuş Zareie, Volga; Bulmuş, Volga; Dalgakıran, Eray; Dinçer, SevilDiblock copolymers of 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) and oligoethyleneglycol methyl ether methacrylate (OEGMA) were synthesized for the first time using RAFT polymerization technique as potential drug delivery systems. Effects of the number of ethylene glycol units in OEGMA, chain length of hydrophobic P4VP block, pH, concentration and temperature on the solution behavior of the copolymers were investigated comprehensively. Copolymer chains formed micelles at pH values higher than 5 whereas unimeric polymers were observed to exist below pH 5, owing to the repulsion between positively charged P4VP blocks. The size of the micelles was dependent on the relative length of blocks, P4VP and POEGMA. Thermo-responsive properties of copolymers were investigated depending on the pH and length of P4VP block. The increase in the length of P4VP block decreased the LCST substantially at pH 7. At pH 3, LCST of copolymers shifted to higher temperatures due to the increased interaction of copolymers with water through positively charged P4VP block.Article Citation - WoS: 22Citation - Scopus: 25The Endocytic Pathway and Therapeutic Efficiency of Doxorubicin Conjugated Cholesterol-Derived Polymers(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015) Sevimli, Sema; Sagnella, Sharon; Macmillan, Alexander; Whan, Renee; Kavallaris, Maria; Bulmuş, Volga; Davis, Thomas P.Previously synthesized poly(methacrylic acid-co-cholesteryl methacrylate) P(MAA-co-CMA) copolymers were examined as potential drug delivery vehicles. P(MAA-co-CMA) copolymers were fluorescently labelled and imaged in SHEP and HepG2 cells. To understand their cell internalization pathway endocytic inhibition studies were conducted. It was concluded that P(MAA-co-CMA) are taken up by the cells via clathrin-independent endocytosis (CIE) (both caveolae mediated and cholesterol dependent endocytosis) mechanisms. The formation and characterization of P(MAA-co-CMA)-doxorubicin (DOX) nanocomplexes was investigated by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies. The toxicity screening between P(MAA-co-CMA)-DOX nanocomplexes (at varying w/w ratios) and free DOX, revealed nanocomplexes to exhibit higher cytotoxicity towards cancer cells in comparison to normal cells. FLIM and confocal microscopy were employed for investigating the time-dependent release of DOX in SHEP cells and the cellular uptake profile of P(MAA-co-CMA)-DOX nanocomplexes in cancer and normal cell lines, respectively. The endocytic pathway of P(MAA-co-CMA)-DOX nanocomplexes were examined in SHEP and HepG2 cells via flow cytometry revealing the complexes to be internalized through both clathrin-dependent (CDE) and CIE mechanisms. The drug delivery profile, reported herein, illuminates the specific endocytic route and therapeutic efficiency of P(MAA-co-CMA)-DOX nanocomplexes strongly suggesting these particles to be promising candidates for in vivo applications.Article Citation - WoS: 79Citation - Scopus: 90Hydrophobically-Associating Cationic Polymers as Micro-Bubble Surface Modifiers in Dissolved Air Flotation for Cyanobacteria Cell Separation(Elsevier Ltd., 2014) Yap, R.K.L.; Whittaker, M.; Diao, M.; Stuetz, R. M.; Jefferson, B.; Bulmuş, Volga; Peirson, W. L.; Nguyen, A. V.; Henderson, R. K.Dissolved air flotation (DAF), an effective treatment method for clarifying algae/cyanobacteria-laden water, is highly dependent on coagulation-flocculation. Treatment of algae can be problematic due to unpredictable coagulant demand during blooms. To eliminate the need for coagulation-flocculation, the use of commercial polymers or surfactants to alter bubble charge in DAF has shown potential, termed the PosiDAF process. When using surfactants, poor removal was obtained but good bubble adherence was observed. Conversely, when using polymers, effective cell removal was obtained, attributed to polymer bridging, but polymers did not adhere well to the bubble surface, resulting in a cationic clarified effluent that was indicative of high polymer concentrations. In order to combine the attributes of both polymers (bridging ability) and surfactants (hydrophobicity), in this study, a commercially-available cationic polymer, poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (polyDMAEMA), was functionalised with hydrophobic pendant groups of various carbon chain lengths to improve adherence of polymer to a bubble surface. Its performance in PosiDAF was contrasted against commercially-available poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) (polyDADMAC). All synthesised polymers used for bubble surface modification were found to produce positively charged bubbles. When applying these cationic micro-bubbles in PosiDAF, in the absence of coagulation-flocculation, cell removals in excess of 90% were obtained, reaching a maximum of 99% cell removal and thus demonstrating process viability. Of the synthesised polymers, the polymer containing the largest hydrophobic functionality resulted in highly anionic treated effluent, suggesting stronger adherence of polymers to bubble surfaces and reduced residual polymer concentrations.Article Citation - WoS: 17Citation - Scopus: 16Ph-Labile Sheddable Block Copolymers by Raft Polymerization: Synthesis and Potential Use as Sirna Conjugates(Elsevier Ltd., 2013) Huang, Xin; Sevimli, Sema İlknur; Bulmuş, VolgaWell-defined amphiphilic block copolymers composed of hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks linked through an acid-labile acetal bond were synthesized directly by RAFT polymerization using a new poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) macroRAFT agent modified with an acid-labile group at its R-terminal. The new macroRAFT agent was used for polymerization of poly(t-butyl methacrylate) (PtBMA) or poly(cholesterol-methacrylate) (PCMA) to synthesize well-defined block copolymers with a PEG block sheddable under acidic conditions. The chain extension polymerization kinetics showed known traits of RAFT polymerization. The molecular weight distributions of the copolymers prepared using the new macroRAFT agent remained below 1.2 during the polymerizations and the molecular weight of the copolymers was linearly proportional to monomer conversions. The acid-catalyzed hydrolysis behavior of the PEG-macroRAFT agent and the PEG-b-PtBMA (Mn = 13,600 by GPC, PDI = 1.10) was studied by GPC, 1H NMR and UV-vis spectroscopy. The half-life of acid-hydrolysis was 70 min at pH 2.2 and 92 h at pH 4.0. The potential use of the pH-labile shedding behavior of the copolymers was demonstrated by conjugating a thiol-modified siRNA to ω-pyridyldisulfide modified PEG-b-PCMA. The resultant PEG-b-PCMA-b-siRNA triblock modular polymer released PCMA-b-siRNA segment in acidic and siRNA segment in reductive conditions, as confirmed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.Article Citation - WoS: 46Citation - Scopus: 46Conjugation of Sirna With Comb-Type Peg Enhances Serum Stability and Gene Silencing Efficiency(John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2011) Gunasekaran, Karthikeyan; Nguyen, Thi H.; Maynard, Heather D.; Davis, Thomas P.; Bulmuş, VolgaA thiol-modified siRNA targeting the enhanced green fluorescence protein (eGFP) gene was conjugated with RAFT-synthesized, pyridyl disulfide-functional poly(PEG methyl ether acrylate)s (p(PEGA)s). siRNA-p(PEGA) conjugates demonstrated significantly enhanced in vitro serum stability and nuclease resistance compared to the unmodified and thiol-modified siRNA. The complexes of siRNA-p(PEGA) conjugates with a fusogenic peptide, KALA ((+)/(-) = 2) inhibited the protein expression approximately 28-fold more than the KALA complex of the unmodified siRNA. The protein inhibition caused by siRNA-p(PEGA)-KALA complexes (56± 5%-58± 3% of the fluorescence expressed in non-treated cells) was comparable to the effect of the unmodified siRNA-lipofectamine complex (77± 7%).