Issue 43, 2013

Versatile tuning of supramolecular hydrogels through metal complexation of oxidation-resistant catechol-inspired ligands

Abstract

The mussel byssal cuticle employs DOPA–Fe3+ complexation to provide strong, yet reversible crosslinking. Synthetic constructs employing this design motif based on catechol units are plagued by oxidation-driven degradation of the catechol units and the requirement for highly alkaline pH conditions leading to decreased performance and loss of supramolecular properties. Herein, a platform based on a 4-arm poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogel system is used to explore the utility of DOPA analogues such as the parent catechol and derivatives, 4-nitrocatechol (nCat) and 3-hydroxy-4-pyridinonone (HOPO), as structural crosslinking agents upon complexation with metal ions. HOPO moieties are found to hold particular promise, as robust gelation with Fe3+ occurs at physiological pH and is found to be largely resistant to oxidative degradation. Gelation is also shown to be triggered by other biorelevant metal ions such as Al3+, Ga3+ and Cu2+ which allows for tuning of the release and dissolution profiles with potential application as injectable delivery systems.

Graphical abstract: Versatile tuning of supramolecular hydrogels through metal complexation of oxidation-resistant catechol-inspired ligands

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
03 Jul 2013
Accepted
19 Sep 2013
First published
25 Sep 2013

Soft Matter, 2013,9, 10314-10323

Versatile tuning of supramolecular hydrogels through metal complexation of oxidation-resistant catechol-inspired ligands

M. S. Menyo, C. J. Hawker and J. H. Waite, Soft Matter, 2013, 9, 10314 DOI: 10.1039/C3SM51824H

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