Recent Advances in Host‐Guest Supramolecular Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

The recognition-directed host-guest interaction is recognized as a valuable tool for creating supramolecular polymers. Functional hydrogels constructed through the dynamic and reversible host-guest complexation are endowed with a great many appealing features, such as superior self-healing, injectability, flexibility, stimuli-responsiveness and biocompatibility, which are crucial for biological and medicinal applications. With numerous topological structures and host-guest combinations established previously, recent breakthroughs in this area mostly focus on further improvement and fine-tuning of various properties for practical utilizations. The current contribution provides a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in hostguest supramolecular hydrogels, with a particular emphasis on the innovative molecular-level design strategies and hydrogel formation methodologies targeting at a wide range of active biomedical domains, including drug delivery, 3D printing, wound healing, tissue engineering, artificial actuators, biosensors, etc. Furthermore, a brief conclusion and discussion on the steps forward to bring these smart hydrogels to clinical practice is also presented.

Responsive hydrogel dressings for intelligent wound management

“…One approach is the employment of supramolecular chemistry, which responds to biological stimuli and gives control over molecular structures, allowing for the specific customization of hydrogel properties. [20,69] As a result, the supramolecular hydrogel can be created to transport medications to the wound site while also dissolving responsively in an inflammatory environment. Zhao et al designed a supramolecular hydrogel consisting of a network of hyaluronic acid (HA) with host-guest linkages based on ferrocene (Fc) and β-CD moieties (Figure 12a), which can adapt to the oxidative stress caused by chronic wounds.…”

“…In general, ROS‐responsive hydrogels are constructed by ROS‐sensitive covalent or noncovalent bonds that can dissociate under the high ROS level from the wound environment. One approach is the employment of supramolecular chemistry, which responds to biological stimuli and gives control over molecular structures, allowing for the specific customization of hydrogel properties [20,69] . As a result, the supramolecular hydrogel can be created to transport medications to the wound site while also dissolving responsively in an inflammatory environment.…”

Recent Progress in Polyethylene‐enhanced Organic Phase Change Composite Materials for Energy Management

“…As an important type of polymers, hydrogels have also been widely investigated for various applications [142–145] . Sotomayor et al [146] .…”

Bio‐Polypropylene and Polypropylene‐based Biocomposites: Solutions for a Sustainable Future

“…Biodegradation is brought about by enzyme catalysis from microorganisms to depolymerize the plastic into smaller fragments that can be released and utilized in the biochemical cycle [89] . The process can be broken down into four main steps: biodeterioration, biofragmentation, assimilation and mineralization (Figure 10).…”

“…Biodegradation is brought about by enzyme catalysis from microorganisms to depolymerize the plastic into smaller fragments that can be released and utilized in the biochemical cycle. [89] The process can be broken down into four main steps: biodeterioration, biofragmentation, assimilation and mineralization (Figure 10). [90] The initial step, biodeterioration which involves a chemical, physical or mechanical change in the polymer that can be brought about by environmental factors such as temperature, UV-irradiation, pH levels etc.…”