The swelling-shrinking transition of hydrogels is crucial for their wide applications such as actuators and drug delivery. We hereby fabricated a smart hydrogel with ferrocene groups on pendant of polymer networks. While it was immersed in the water-soluble pillar[6]arene (WP6) aqueous solution, the hydrogel was dramatically swollen, which was an approximately 11-fold promotion in weight compared with that in pure water, due to the formation of the inclusion complexes between WP6 and ferrocene groups in the hydrogel. In particular, the well-swollen hydrogel exhibited good responsiveness to multistimuli including temperature, pH, redox, and competitive guests by tuning the dissociation/formation of WP6-ferrocene inclusion complexes or the strength of their charges. Meanwhile, potential application of such a smart hydrogel in pH-responsive drug release was demonstrated as well.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6b03296 | DOI Listing |
ACS Nano
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Biofilm-induced chronic bacterial infections represent a significant challenge in modern medicine due to their resistance to conventional antibiotic treatments. Although photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a promising antibiotic-free antibacterial strategy, the hypoxic condition within biofilms and the lack of an effective local drug delivery system have limited the clinical effectiveness of photosensitizer (PS) agents. Herein, we propose a type of charge regulation-enhanced type I PS-loaded hydrogel dressing for treating biofilm infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancer immunotherapy using engineered cytotoxic effector cells has demonstrated significant potential. The limited spatial complexity of existing models, however, poses a challenge to mechanistic studies attempting to approve existing approaches of effector cell-mediated cytotoxicity within a three-dimensional, solid tumor-like environment. To gain additional experimental control, we developed an approach for constructing three-dimensional (3D) culture models using smart polymers that form temperature responsive hydrogels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall
January 2025
Engineering Research Center of Western Resource Innovation Medicine Green Manufacturing, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710127, China.
Flexible wearable sensors with bimodal functionality offer substantial value for human health monitoring, as relying on a single indicator is insufficient for capturing comprehensive physiological information. However, bimodal sensors face multiple challenges in practical applications, including mutual interference between various modalities, and integration of excellent mechanical properties, interfacial adhesion, environmental adaptability and biocompatibility. Herein, the multifunctional hydrogel, synthesized through radical grafting and supramolecular self-crosslinking reactions, exhibits excellent thermal sensitivity (TCR = -1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Mater
January 2025
School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China.
The gastric mucosal barrier, through its gastric pits, serves as a pathway for secretions, ensuring that mucus produced by the gastric glands is transferred to the gastric lumen, providing stable protection. Here a bioinspired liquid pockets material is shown, composed of a thermo-driven hydrogel that acts as an external activation unit to release interflowing liquid responsively, and porous matrices that serve as interconnected pockets to transfer it, enabling controlled internal flow and adaptive barrier functionality. Experiments and theoretical analysis demonstrate the stability and regulatory mechanisms of these liquid pockets, based on the interconnected pockets between the external activation unit and internal fluid flow.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Healthc Mater
January 2025
School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L7, Canada.
Inspired by the emerging potential of photoluminescent hydrogels, this work unlocks new avenues for advanced biosensing, bioimaging, and drug delivery applications. Carbon quantum dots (CDs) are deemed particularly promising among various optical dyes, for enhancing polymeric networks with superior physical and chemical properties. This study presents the synthesis of CDs derived from Prunella vulgaris, a natural plant resource, through a single-step hydrothermal process, followed by their uniform integration into hydrogel matrices via an in situ free radical graft polymerization.
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