Abstract
Polymers are one of the most promising protein delivery carriers; however, their applications are hindered by low delivery efficacy owing to their undesirable performance in protein binding, cellular uptake and endosomal escape. Here, we designed a series of histidine-based coordinative polymers for efficient intracellular protein delivery. Coordination of metal ions such as Ni2+, Zn2+, and Cu2+ with histidine residues on a polymer greatly improved its performance in protein binding, complex stability, cellular uptake and endosomal escape, therefore achieving highly improved protein delivery efficacy. Among the coordinative polymers, the Zn2+-coordinated one exhibited the highest cellular uptake, while the Cu2+-coordinated one exhibited the highest endosomal escape. The Ni2+-coordinated polymer formed large-sized aggregates with cargo proteins and showed insufficient protein release after endocytosis. The results obtained in this study provided new insight into the development of coordinative polymer-based protein delivery systems.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
