Crosslinked Network with Rotatable Binding Sites Based on Monocarboxylated α-Cyclodextrin [2]Rotaxane Capable of Angiotensin III Recognition.

Synthetic receptors selective for target peptides or proteins have received attention because of their potential applications in the separation of biomolecules and biomedical diagnostics. Herein, a [2]rotaxane-based functional monomer containing monocarboxylated α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) was synthesized, and its crosslinked polymers were evaluated to determine their binding ability to a model peptide, angiotensin III (Arg-Val-Tyr-Ile-His-Pro-Phe), containing an arginine (Arg) residue. The binding ability of the resulting polymers toward angiotensin III, angiotensin IV (Val-Tyr-Ile-His-Pro-Phe), and FMRF-amide (Phe-Met-Arg-Phe) was examined by the batch-binding assay and compared with that of control polymers, in which maleic acid-introduced α-CD was chemically crosslinked. The results suggest that the [2]rotaxane-based functional monomer in the crosslinked polymer contributes to the high affinity toward angiotensin III. The α-CD motion and rotation within the [2]rotaxane-based crosslinked polymer may be applicable for designing molecular recognition materials.