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Authors
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Lee, K.; Yokoyama, T.; Nikoubashman, A.; Kang, S.; Choi, S. Q.; Shin, J.; Li, S.
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Title
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Investigating the self-assembly of polyelectrolyte complex micelles from single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide-poly(ethylene glycol) conjugates and polyethylenimine
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Date
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19.09.2025
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Number
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0
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Abstract
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Single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide-poly(ethylene glycol) (ssODN-PEG) conjugates with varying ssODN and PEG lengths are synthesized and complexed with polyethylenimine (PEI) to form polyelectrolyte complex micelles (PCMs). The conjugation of PEG chains has a minor impact on ssODN binding; however, PEG chains of extended length can hinder ion pairing due to steric effects. The complexation of ssODN-PEG with branched PEI (BPEI) leads to the self-assembly of spherical core–shell PCMs. When PEG chains are too short relative to the complexed core, aggregation of the PCMs occurs, evidenced by a deviation from the spheroid form factor and a rapid increase in the hydrodynamic size over time. The complexation of ssODN-PEG with linear PEI (LPEI) is also investigated. In phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at physiologically relevant ionic strength, LPEI exhibits significantly weaker binding to ssODN-PEG compared to BPEI. However, well-defined PCMs are formed in either salt-free water or NaCl solutions, highlighting the strong ion sensitivity of LPEI-mediated complexation.
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Publisher
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Wikidata
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Citation
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Biomacromolecules (2025) Early Access
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DOI
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https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.5c00623
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