Ultrasensitive ROS-Responsive Coassemblies of Tellurium-Containing Molecules and Phospholipids

Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play crucial roles in cell signaling and redox homeostasis and are strongly related to metabolic activities. The increase of the ROS concentration in organisms can result in several diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. The concentration of ROS in biologically relevant conditions is typically as low as around tens of micromolars to 100 μM H2O2, which makes it necessary to develop ultrasensitive ROS-responsive systems. A general approach is reported here to fabricate an ultrasensitive ROS-responsive system via coassembly between tellurium-containing molecules and phospholipids, combining the ROS-responsiveness of tellurium and the biocompatibility of phospholipids. By using dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and NMR spectra, coassembly behaviors and the responsiveness of the coassemblies have been investigated. These coassemblies can respond to 100 μM H2O2, which is a biologically relevant ROS concentration, and demonstrate reversible redox properties.

Reactive Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Sulfur Species (RONSS)‐Responsive Polymersomes for Triggered Drug Release

“…Unfortunately, there are no established protocols to systematically optimize the responsive capability of RONSS‐polymersomes. Recently, the ultrasensitive ROS‐responsive tellurium‐containing polymers have been exploited to selectively and sensitively deliver drugs . In addition, the progress on self‐immolative polymers and their corresponding polymeric assemblies with unique signal amplification characteristic can remarkably enhance the response sensitivity toward RONSS.…”

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Responsive Polymers for Biomedical Applications

“…Poly(propylene sulfi de) [19][20][21][22] Selenium-containing polymers [26,28,29] [ 25,30] Telluriumcontaining polymers [35][36][37] Poly(thioketal) [38][39][40]46] [ [41][42][43][44][45]55] Phenylboronic acid/ ester containing polymers Poly(L-methionine) [49] Poly(L-proline) [53,54] Macromolecular Bioscience www.mbs-journal.de and SN38 resulted in enhanced proliferation inhibition of tumor cells via inducing cell apoptosis. In addition to drug carrier, the thioether-containing particles themselves can also show inherent therapeutic properties against oxidative stress.…”

“…[ 37 ] Phospholipid is the main component of the plasma membrane and has been widely employed to fabricate different kinds of nanostructures. The coassemblies were found to be responsive to ultradiluted H 2 O 2 , and the oxidative products could also be reduced by ascorbic acid.…”

Tellurium‐Containing Polymers: Towards Biomaterials and Optoelectronic Materials

“…However, an emerging trend for the development of this field is to modulate the response to slight environmental changes. To achieve a more sensitive dynamic system, co‐assemblies of tellurium‐containing compounds (MTeC10COONa) and a phospholipid have been fabricated on the basis of hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions (Figure a) . At a 1,2‐diphytanoyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphocholine (DPPC)/MTeC10COONa mass ratio of 10:1, co‐assembly occurs and spherical aggregates are formed.…”

“…Recently,o ur group developed as eries of tellurium-containing polymers utilized ass timuli-responsive biomaterials. [11] Optoelectronic materials are as important as biomaterials in the future development of chemistry considering the fast advancesi ne conomics, energy conversion,a nd storage, as these areas are becoming more and more significant in industrial development and in our daily life. [12] Optoelectronic materials can be appliedi nv ariousa reas such as solar cells, light-emitting diodes,a nd transistors.…”