Chemiluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer for Targeted Photoactivation of Ion Channels in Living Cells.

The regulation of oxidative stress in living cells is essential for maintaining cellular processes and signal transduction. However, developing straightforward strategies to activate oxidative stress-sensitive membrane channels in situ poses significant challenges. In this study, we present a chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) system based on a conjugated oligomer, oligo(p-phenylenevinylene)-imidazolium (OPV-Im), designed for the activation of transient receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2) calcium channels in situ by superoxide anion (O⋅) without requiring external light sources.

Chemically engineered exogenous organic reactions in living cells for fluorescence imaging and biomedical applications.

The unique microenvironment within living cells, characterized by high glutathione levels, reactive oxygen species concentrations, and active enzymes, facilitates the execution of chemical reactions. Recent advances in organic chemistry and chemical biology have leveraged living cells as reactors for chemical synthesis. This review summarizes recent reports on key intracellular synthesis processes, including the synthesis of near-infrared fluorescent dyes, intracellular oxidative cross-linking, bioorthogonal reactions, and intracellular polymerization reactions.

Living Cell-Mediated Catalyst-Free Spontaneous Polymerization of Zwitterionic Methacrylates for Preparation of Probiotic-Loaded Hydrogels.

Living cell-mediated polymerization offers promising applications in biomaterials, yet its further biological utilization is hindered by the need for metal ions or radical initiators with available methods. In this study, we introduce a living cell-mediated polymerization that leverages the intrinsic metabolic activities of living cells to initiate and sustain free radical polymerization of zwitterionic methacrylates. The polymerization proceeded in the absence of transition metal catalysts, radical initiators, or light sources.

Biosynthesis of multifunctional transformable peptides for downregulation of PD-L1.

Here, we present a biosynthesized material M1 for immune checkpoint blocking therapy. M1 could realize a morphological transformation from globular to fibrous in the presence of cathepsin B (CtsB) after entering tumor cells. The GO203 peptides of M1 are exposed, which could bind to mucin 1 (MUC1) to suppress the homodimerization process of MUC1, thereby downregulating PD-L1 expression.

Regulation of Cell Membrane Potential through Supramolecular System for Activating Calcium Ion Channels.

The regulation of the cell membrane potential plays a crucial role in governing the transmembrane transport of various ions and cellular life processes. However, and on-demand modulation of cell membrane potential for ion channel regulation is challenging. Herein, we have constructed a supramolecular assembly system based on water-soluble cationic oligo(phenylenevinylene) (OPV) and cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]).

Rational Design of Conjugated Polymers for Photocatalytic CO Reduction: Towards Localized CO Production and Macrophage Polarization.

Light presents substantial potential in disease treatment, where the development of efficient photocatalysts could enhance the utilization of photocatalytic systems in biomedicine. Here, we devised a novel approach to designing and synthesizing photocatalysts of conjugated polymers for photocatalytic CO reduction, relying on a multiple linear regression model built with theoretically calculated descriptors. We established a logarithmic relationship between molecular structure and CO yield and identified the poly(fluorene--thiophene) deviant (PFT) as the optimal one.

Utilizing microbial metabolite in catalytic cascade synthesis of conjugated oligomers for In-Situ regulation of biological activity.

Despite the advances of multistep enzymatic cascade reactions, their incorporation with abiotic reactions in living organisms remains challenging in synthetic biology. Herein, we combined microbial metabolic pathways and Pd-catalyzed processes for in-situ generation of bioactive conjugated oligomers. Our biocompatible one-pot coupling reaction utilized the fermentation process of engineered E.

Sensing, Imaging, and Therapeutic Strategies Endowing by Conjugate Polymers for Precision Medicine.

Conjugated polymers (CPs) have promising applications in biomedical fields, such as disease monitoring, real-time imaging diagnosis, and disease treatment. As a promising luminescent material with tunable emission, high brightness and excellent stability, CPs are widely used as fluorescent probes in biological detection and imaging. Rational molecular design and structural optimization have broadened absorption/emission range of CPs, which are more conductive for disease diagnosis and precision therapy.

Organic Semiconducting Polymers for Augmenting Biosynthesis and Bioconversion.

Solar-driven biosynthesis and bioconversion are essential for achieving sustainable resources and renewable energy. These processes harness solar energy to produce biomass, chemicals, and fuels. While they offer promising avenues, some challenges and limitations should be investigated and addressed for their improvement and widespread adoption.

Self-Powered Biohybrid Systems Based on Organic Materials for Sustainable Biosynthesis.

Sustainable energy conversion and effective biosynthesis for value-added chemicals have attracted considerable attention, but most biosynthesis systems cannot work independently without external power. In this work, a self-powered biohybrid system based on organic materials is designed and constructed successfully by integrating electroactive microorganisms with electrochemical devices. Among them, the hybrid living materials based on /poly[3-(3'-N,N,N-triethylamino-1'-propyloxy)-4-methyl-2,5-thiophene chloride] (PMNT) biofilms for microbial fuel cells played a crucial role in electrocatalytic biocurrent generation by using biowaste as the only energy source.

Conjugated Molecules Based Multi-Component Artificial Photosynthesis System for Producing Multi-Objective Products.

The development of artificial photosynthesis systems that mimics natural photosynthesis can help address the issue of energy scarcity by efficiently utilizing solar energy. Here, it presents liposomes-based artificial photosynthetic nanocapsules (PSNC) integrating photocatalytic, chemical catalytic, and biocatalytic systems through one-pot method. The PSNC contains 5,10,15,20-tetra(4-pyridyl) cobalt-porphyrin, tridipyridyl-ruthenium nitrate, oligo-pphenyl-ethylene-rhodium complex, and creatine kinase, efficiently generating oxygen, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), and adenosine triphosphate with remarkable enhancements of 231%, 30%, and 86%, compared with that of molecules mixing in aqueous solution.

Biosynthesis of Multifunctional Transformable Peptides for Inducing Tumor Cell Apoptosis.

Engineered nanomaterials hold great promise to improve the specificity of disease treatment. Herein, a fully protein-based material is obtained from nonpathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli), which is capable of morphological transformation from globular to fibrous in situ for inducing tumor cell apoptosis.

Increased Nitrogenase Activity in Solar-Driven Biohybrids Containing Non-photosynthetic Bacteria and Conducting Polymers.

A conductive polymer-based photosynthetic biohybrid is constructed to enhance biological nitrogen fixation by increasing nitrogenase activity in the non-photosynthetic bacterium Azotobacter Chroococcum (A. Chroococcum). The light-harvesting cationic poly(fluorene-alt-phenylene) (PFP) electrostatically binds to the surface of the bacteria and possesses satisfactory conductivity to facilitate electron transfer to the bacterium, promoting the nitrogen fixation pathway through redox proteins on the surface of the bacteria when under illumination.

A biophotonic device based on a conjugated polymer and a macrophage-laden hydrogel for triggering immunotherapy.

A biophotonic device is fabricated by a 3D printing technique for tumor immunotherapy utilizing a flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) with deep blue emission and a gelatin-alginate hydrogel that contains a poly(phenylene vinylene) (PPV) derivative and live immune cells of macrophages (M-RAW264.7). PPV is excited by the OLED to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), enabling the macrophages to polarize to the M phenotype and secrete cytotoxic cytokines to induce the apoptosis of tumor cells.

Solar-powered multi-organism symbiont mimic system for beyond natural synthesis of polypeptides from CO and N.

Developing artificial symbionts beyond natural synthesis limitations would bring revolutionary contributions to agriculture, medicine, environment, etc. Here, we initiated a solar-driven multi-organism symbiont, which was assembled by the CO fixation module of sp., N fixation module of , biofunctional polypeptides synthesis module of , and the electron transfer module of conductive cationic poly(fluorene--phenylene) derivative.

Sensitive detection of single-nucleotide polymorphisms by conjugated polymers for personalized treatment of hypertension.

Genetic variants among individuals have been associated with ineffective control of hypertension. Previous work has shown that hypertension has a polygenic nature, and interactions between these loci have been associated with variations in drug response. Rapid detection of multiple genetic loci with high sensitivity and specificity is needed for the effective implementation of personalized medicine for the treatment of hypertension.

Water-soluble conjugated polymers for bioelectronic systems.

Bioelectronics is an interdisciplinary field of research that aims to establish a synergy between electronics and biology. Contributing to a deeper understanding of bioelectronic processes and the built bioelectronic systems, a variety of new phenomena, mechanisms and concepts have been derived in the field of biology, medicine, energy, artificial intelligence science, Organic semiconductors can promote the applications of bioelectronics in improving original performance and creating new features for organisms due to their excellent photoelectric and electrical properties. Recently, water-soluble conjugated polymers (WSCPs) have been employed as a class of ideal interface materials to regulate bioelectronic processes between biological systems and electronic systems, relying on their satisfying ionic conductivity, water-solubility, good biocompatibility and the additional mechanical and electrical properties.

Photosynthetic Polymer Dots-Bacteria Biohybrid System Based on Transmembrane Electron Transport for Fixing CO into Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate.

Organic semiconductor-microbial photosynthetic biohybrid systems show great potential in light-driven biosynthesis. In such a system, an organic semiconductor is used to harvest solar energy and generate electrons, which can be further transported to microorganisms with a wide range of metabolic pathways for final biosynthesis. However, the lack of direct electron transport proteins in existing microorganisms hinders the hybrid system of photosynthesis.

Bacteria-mediated polymerization of peptide-modified acrylamide for enhancing antimicrobial activity.

Bacteria-mediated reactions can utilize the natural activities of bacteria to produce bioactive products. Here, bacteria-mediated polymerization of the acrylamide-functionalized peptide Trp-Arg-Lys (Am-WRK) afforded an antibacterial polymer, PAm-WRK, which simulates the cationic and hydrophobic structures of antimicrobial peptides. Facultative anaerobes with strong reductive abilities exhibited better reactivity and achieved selective antibacterial effects through non-covalent interactions with bacterial membranes.

Flexible bioelectronic device fabricated by conductive polymer-based living material.

Living materials are worked as an inside collaborative system that could naturally respond to changing environmental conditions. The regulation of bioelectronic processes in living materials could be effective for collecting biological signals and detecting biomarkers. Here, we constructed a living material with conjugated polymers poly[3-(3'-,,-triethylamino-1'-propyloxy)-4-methyl-2,5-thiophene chloride] (PMNT) and MR-1 biofilm.

Conjugated polymers for biomedical applications.

Conjugated polymers (CPs) are a series of organic semiconductor materials with large π-conjugated backbones and delocalized electronic structures. Due to their specific photophysical properties and photoelectric effects, plenty of CPs with varied chemical structures and functions are quickly evolving in the diverse biomedical field, such as fluorescence imaging, photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy, In addition, the functionalized side chains of CPs could contribute to the expected water-solubility, biocompatibility, biological response, CPs can also be prepared into nanoparticles for acquiring controllable particle size and dispersion through the common synthesis procedure. In this review, we focus on the latest developments of CPs in biotherapy, biological regulation, biological response and bioprinting applications.

Polyurethane-gelatin methacryloyl hybrid ink for 3D printing of biocompatible and tough vascular networks.

A polyurethane-gelatin methacryloyl (PU-GelMA) hybrid ink was developed as a photo-crosslinkable elastic hydrogel. With the additional acrylic monomer, the ink can be tuned to accommodate elasticity and printability. Attributed to the shear-thinning properties of GelMA, PU-GelMA was preferable for extrusion printing.

Conjugated Polymers for Gene Delivery and Photothermal Gene Expression.

Gene therapy has attracted great attention due to its applications in disease treatment. The key point for gene therapy is how to improve the efficiency of gene delivery and precisely control gene expression. Conjugated polymers (CPs) have hydrophobic π-conjugated backbones and modifiable side chains, which provide desired photophysical properties and have been applied in the field of bio-sensing, biomedical and gene-based therapies.

Photocontrolled RAFT Polymerization Catalyzed by Conjugated Polymers under Aerobic Aqueous Conditions.

Photocontrolled polymerization offers a convenient way to direct the reaction progress and tailor the polymer structures. Nevertheless, conjugated polymers are yet to be utilized as the photocatalyst in associated reactions. Herein, we employed poly(boron dipyrromethene--fluorene) (PBF), a conjugated polymer with better photostability than eosin Y, as the photocatalyst for photo-RAFT polymerizations of acrylic monomers, and the polymers were obtained with moderately narrow molecular weight distributions.

Solar-Driven Producing of Value-Added Chemicals with Organic Semiconductor-Bacteria Biohybrid System.

Photosynthetic biohybrid systems exhibit promising performance in biosynthesis; however, these systems can only produce a single metabolite and cannot further transform carbon sources into highly valuable chemical production. Herein, a photosynthetic biohybrid system integrating biological and chemical cascade synthesis was developed for solar-driven conversion of glucose to value-added chemicals. A new ternary cooperative biohybrid system, namely bacterial factory, was constructed by self-assembling of enzyme-modified light-harvesting donor-acceptor conjugated polymer nanoparticles (D-A CPNs) and genetically engineered ().