Editorial: Self-assembly of biomolecules as healthcare materials: drug delivery and beyond

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Editorial on the Research Topic Self-assembly of biomolecules as healthcare materials: drug delivery and beyondSelf-assembled materials generated by different non-covalent interactions have demonstrated tremendous advantages in healthcare applications due to their ease of preparation, potential for multifunctionality, and good biocompatibility.The definition of biomolecules covers macromolecules, small molecules, and ions that are naturally present in biological system or essential for the life of living organisms.Typical biomolecules include the proteins/peptides, nucleic acids, lipids and carbohydrates, which could efficiently mediate profound noncovalent interactions including hydrophobic interaction, electrostatic interaction, ion coordination, hydrogen bonding, etc.Based on these multiple noncovalent interactions, the hierarchical assembly of biomolecules contributes to the complex structure of cell, while it can also be engineered to fabricate biomaterials of different scales.One typical example is nanomaterials based on the selfassembly of biomolecules, which has been widely explored as therapeutics, biomaterials, sensors, imaging agents and food supplements, etc.The assembly of synthetic molecules and their hybrid assembly with biomolecules can further expand the biomedical applications.This topic mainly discusses the self-assembled biomolecules and their healthcare applications.Three research articles and 3 reviews cover the self-assembly of lipids, peptides, synthetic polymer and the hybrid assembly of both organic and inorganic materials for drug delivery, imaging and beyond.When compared with the free drugs or building blocks for the assembly, these self-assembled nanomaterials greatly facilitate the therapeutic or diagnostic outcome under the different healthcare application settings.The liposome that mainly assembled based on the hydrophobic interaction of amphiphilic lipids represents the most successful self-assembled nanomaterials for clinical translation since several liposome-based formulations have been used in clinics.Wu et al. successfully explored the liposome containing N-oleoylethanolamine (OEA), a naturally existed lipid acting as an agonist for the endogenous peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α), to improve the therapeutic index for stroke.While the poor solubility of OEA significantly limited its bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy, sustained release of OEA could be realized through incorporating it within the liposome.

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