Antifouling zwitterionic poly-β-peptides

Zwitterionic polypeptides with homogenous alternating charges draw a great deal of attentions for their antifouling property and biocompatibility. Antifouling zwitterionic polypeptides are synthesized from α-amino acid in previous studies, but with application limitation due to their susceptibility to proteolysis. In this study, we report zwitterionic poly-β-peptides as promising antifouling materials owning to their resistance to proteolysis and easy synthesis. We develop a series of poly-β-peptides, DbaYKY-poly(β-diaminobutyric acid-glutamic acid) (PβDab-E), bearing zwitterionic amino acid in the side chain, combining with a surface-grafting tripeptide motif at the end of the polymer for easily surface functionalization. The PβDab-E can be easily modified to surface to resist protein adsorption, cell adhesion and microbial adhesion to a great extent owning to its strong hydration ability. The convenient surface modification strategy and promising antifouling performance imply PβDab-E great potential for application in the biomedical filed.