The design of a crown ether receptor for selective collagen binding

Abstract

Collagen, crucial insoluble fibrous protein in connective tissue and extracellular matrix, plays an important role in the body structures of animals. It is most distinct for its triple helix structure. This triple helix structure can be dissolved with high temperature and enzymes. To seek out a possible solution for the stabilization of the triple-helix structure, a selective complex between a collagen model system and a macro cyclic crown ether was calculated using Spartan Student v8 Graphical User Interface, a computational molecular simulation program, to measure the energy difference. The complex reveals a lower energy than the sum of the energy of the initially separated collagen molecule and crown ether ring, indicating that the complex is more stabilized. The possible desired complex could be applied to surface materials with both a desired texture and durability.