Cyclodextrin‐Based Multistimuli‐Responsive Supramolecular Assemblies and Their Biological Functions

Abstract

Cyclodextrins (CDs), which are a class of cyclic oligosaccharides extracted from the enzymatic degradation of starch, are often utilized in molecular recognition and assembly constructs, primarily via host–guest interactions in water. In this review, recent progress in CD‐based supramolecular nanoassemblies that are sensitive to chemical, biological, and physical stimuli is updated and reviewed, and intriguing examples of the biological functions of these nanoassemblies are presented, including pH‐ and redox‐responsive drug and gene delivery, enzyme‐activated specific cargo release, photoswitchable morphological interconversion, microtubular aggregation, and cell–cell communication, as well as a geomagnetism‐controlled nanosystem for the suppression of tumor invasion and metastasis. Moreover, future perspectives and challenges in the fabrication of intelligent CD‐based biofunctional materials are also discussed at the end of this review, which is expected to promote the translational development of these nanomaterials in the biomedical field.

β-Cyclodextrin Decorated CdS Nanocrystals Boosting the Photocatalytic Conversion of Alcohols

“…Toward this goal, we were intrigued to mimic the function of an enzyme by decorating a mono-(6-mercapto-6deoxy)-β-cyclodextrin (HS-β-CD) with hydrophobic cavity and hydrophilic outside surface [27][28][29] on the surface of CdS NCs (Scheme 1). We predicted that the introduction of HS-β-CD would exhibit the following advantages: (1) The S atom in HS-β-CD could strongly bind to the surface Cd(II) in CdS NCs to form stable CdS-CD composite in which the hydrophobic cavity of β-CD would selectively capture and enrich the organic reactants via host-guest interaction 30,31 at the surface of CdS NCs, and thus, minimize the hindrance of the carrier transport of the surface ligands on CdS NCs via close vicinity of the reactants with CdS NCs.…”

Supramolecular assembly of poly(ionic liquid) nanogel driven by host‐stabilized charge transfer interaction

“…Till now, the most widely developed noncovalent interactions include hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interaction, host–guest interaction, electrostatic interaction, π–π stacking, coordination, and so on . These noncovalent interactions can endow the organized systems with micro/macrotransformation in response to external stimuli, such as temperature, light, pH, magnetic field, electricity, and compounds, which have found many potential applications in biomimetic material, controlled drug delivery, actuators, and sensors …”

“…[4][5][6][7] These noncovalent interactions can endow the organized systems with micro/macrotransformation in response to external stimuli, such as temperature, light, pH, magnetic field, electricity, and compounds, which have found many potential applications in biomimetic material, controlled drug delivery, actuators, and sensors. [8][9][10][11] Through host-stabilized charge transfer (HSCT) interaction, more than one guest molecule can be accommodated into the host molecule. Additionally, the as-formed complex can produce a confined environment, which benefits to get insight into the new form of stereoisomerism, bimolecular reaction, and molecular recognition.…”

Color-tunable single-fluorophore supramolecular system with assembly-encoded emission

“…To that end, we herein demonstrate that the emission color of a single fluorophore can be dynamically controlled and modulated in the blue-to-yellow region, including white-light emission. The two different controlling modes involve intrinsic amphiphilic selfassembly and molecular recognition with external chemical signals and a water-soluble macrocycle, γ-CD 38,39 , respectively. Taking advantage of the distinct excimer emission features of the pyrene moiety, we reveal the strong relationship between the visualized emission color and the complex molecular selfassembly, enabling a single fluorophore to produce variable multi-color fluorescent emission, which can be dynamically manipulated by localized concentrations and chemical signaling molecules.…”