We present a new method to obtain tertiary amine-based prodrugs with dual functionality, enabling (i) signal-triggered drug activation and (ii) covalent incorporation in polymer materials through a clickable azido-group unit on the molecular prodrug scaffold. Using nucleophilic substitution on an electron deficient azido-phenyl allyl bromide scaffold, we were able to obtain prodrugs from a variety of amine drug candidates. Subsequent drug activation was initiated by using S or N-terminal biomarker nucleophiles including amino acids, a neurotransmitter, and glutathione as chemical signals. Hydrogel scaffolds labelled with anti-cancer or antibiotic prodrugs were tested in aqueous and cellular media. Through this strategy, we achieved controlled drug release upon signal activation for in vitro cancer models with ∼100% wound closure inhibition of A549 small lung cancer cells. We anticipate that this new strategy for the development of responsive prodrug-conjugate incorporated materials will lead to further advancements in drug delivery and specialized therapeutics.

The redox balance in tumor and diseased cells often leads to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Many ROS-responsive materials based on sulfur oxidation have been reported with the goal of achieving controlled delivery at the tumor. However, these materials often lack responsiveness to low ROS concentrations present in the tumor environment. To address this, we use organocatalysis to achieve an enhanced response of thioether-based nanocarriers triggered by low concentrations of ROS. Using block copolymer micelles that can disassemble through thioether oxidation followed by ester hydrolysis, this work shows how an in-situ-formed imine oxidation catalyst can enhance disassembly kinetics at low millimolar hydrogen peroxide concentrations. The results show that with organocatalysis, Nile Red-loaded micelles release their cargo twice as fast compared to uncatalyzed conditions. This study highlights the potential of organocatalysis as a valuable strategy to enhance the responsiveness of biomarker-triggered delivery systems.

In the quest for stimuli-responsive materials with specific, controllable functions, coacervate hydrogels have become a promising candidate, featuring sensitive responsiveness to environmental signals enabling control over sol-gel transitions. However, conventional coacervation-based materials are regulated by relatively non-specific signals, such as temperature, pH or salt concentration, which limits their possible applications. In this work, we constructed a coacervate hydrogel with a Michael addition-based chemical reaction network (CRN) as a platform, where the state of coacervate materials can be easily tuned by specific chemical signals. We designed a pyridine-based ABA triblock copolymer, whose quaternization can be regulated by an allyl acetate electrophile and an amine nucleophile, leading to gel construction and collapse in the presence of polyanions. Our coacervate gels showed not only highly tunable stiffness and gelation times, but excellent self-healing ability and injectability with different sized needles, and accelerated degradation resulting from chemical signal-induced coacervation disruption. This work is expected to be a first step in the realization of a new class of signal-responsive injectable materials.

Hydrogels that can disintegrate upon exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS) have the potential for targeted drug delivery to tumor cells. In this study, we developed a diphenylalanine (FF) derivative with a thioether phenyl moiety attached to the N-terminus that can form supramolecular hydrogels at neutral and mildly acidic pH. The thioether can be oxidized by ROS to the corresponding sulfoxide, which makes the gelator hydrolytically labile. The resulting oxidation and hydrolysis products alter the polarity of the gelator, leading to disassembly of the gel fibers. To enhance ROS sensitivity, we incorporated peroxizymes in the gels, namely, chloroperoxidase CiVCPO and the unspecific peroxygenase rAaeUPO. Both enzymes accelerated the oxidation process, enabling the hydrogels to collapse with 10 times lower H2O2 concentrations than those required for enzyme-free hydrogel collapse. These ROS-responsive hydrogels could pave the way toward optimized platforms for targeted drug delivery in the tumor microenvironment.

We present an approach for detecting thiol analytes through a self-propagating amplification cycle that triggers the macroscopic degradation of a hydrogel scaffold. The amplification system consists of an allylic phosphonium salt that upon reaction with the thiol analyte releases a phosphine, which reduces a disulfide to form two thiols, closing the cycle and ultimately resulting in exponential amplification of the thiol input. When integrated in a disulfide cross-linked hydrogel, the amplification process leads to physical degradation of the hydrogel in response to thiol analytes. We developed a numerical model to predict the behavior of the amplification cycle in response to varying concentrations of thiol triggers and validated it with experimental data. Using this system, we were able to detect multiple thiol analytes, including a small molecule probe, glutathione, DNA, and a protein, at concentrations ranging from 132 to 0.132 μM. In addition, we discovered that the self-propagating amplification cycle could be initiated by force-generated molecular scission, enabling damage-triggered hydrogel destruction.

Polycationic carriers promise low cost and scalable gene therapy treatments, however inefficient intracellular unpacking of the genetic cargo has limited transfection efficiency. Charge-reversing polycations, which transition from cationic to neutral or negative charge, can offer targeted intracellular DNA release. We describe a new class of charge-reversing polycation which undergoes a cationic-to-neutral conversion by a reaction with cellular nucleophiles. The deionization reaction is relatively slow with primary amines, and much faster with thiols. In mammalian cells, the intracellular environment has elevated concentrations of amino acids (∼10×) and the thiol glutathione (∼1000×). We propose this allows for decationization of the polymeric carrier slowly in the extracellular space and then rapidly in the intracellular milleu for DNA release. We demonstrate that in a lipopolyplex formulation this leads to both improved transfection and reduced cytotoxicity when compared to a non-responsive polycationic control.

Fuel-driven macromolecular coacervation is an entry into the transient formation of highly charged, responsive material phases. In this work, we used a chemical reaction network (CRN) to drive the coacervation of macromolecular species readily produced using radical polymerisation methods. The CRN enables transient quaternization of tertiary amine substrates, driven by the conversion of electron deficient allyl acetates and thiol or amine nucleophiles. By incorporating tertiary amine functionality into block copolymers, we demonstrate chemical triggered complex coacervate core micelle (C3M) assembly and disassembly. In contrast to most dynamic coacervate systems, this CRN operates at constant physiological pH without the need for complex biomolecules. By varying the allyl acetate fuel, deactivating nucleophile and reagent ratios, we achieved both sequential signal-induced C3M (dis)assembly, as well as transient non-equilibrium (dis)assembly. We expect that timed and signal-responsive control over coacervate phase formation at physiological pH will find application in nucleic acid delivery, nano reactors and protocell research.

Out of equilibrium operation of chemical reaction networks (CRNs) enables artificial materials to autonomously respond to their environment by activation and deactivation of intermolecular interactions. Generally, their activation can be driven by various chemical conversions, yet their deactivation to non-interacting building blocks remains largely limited to hydrolysis and internal pH change. To achieve control over deactivation, we present a new, modular CRN that enables reversible formation of positive charges on a tertiary amine substrate, which are removed using nucleophilic signals that control the deactivation kinetics. The modular nature of the CRN enables incorporation in diverse polymer materials, leading to a temporally programmed transition from collapsed and hydrophobic to solvated, hydrophilic polymer chains by controlling polymer-solvent interactions. Depending on the layout of the CRN, we can create stimuli-responsive or autonomously responding materials. This concept will not only offer new opportunities in molecular cargo delivery but also pave the way for next-generation interactive materials.

Dynamic regulation of chemical reactivity is important in many complex chemical reaction networks, such as cascade reactions and signal transduction processes. Signal responsive catalysts could play a crucial role in regulating these reaction pathways. Recently, supramolecular encapsulation was reported to regulate the activities of artificial catalysts. We present a host-guest chemistry strategy to modulate the activity of commercially available synthetic organocatalysts. The molecular container cucurbit[7]uril was successfully applied to change the activity of four different organocatalysts and one initiator, enabling up- or down-regulation of the reaction rates of four different classes of chemical reactions. In most cases CB[7] encapsulation results in catalyst inhibition, however in one case catalyst activation by binding to CB[7] was observed. The mechanism behind this unexpected behavior was explored by NMR binding studies and pKa measurements. The catalytic activity can be instantaneously switched during operation, by addition of either supramolecular host or competitive binding molecules, and the reaction rate can be predicted with a kinetic model. Overall, this signal responsive system proves a promising tool to control catalytic activity.

Hydrogel microparticles are important in materials engineering, but their applications remain limited owing to the difficulties associated with their manipulation. Herein, we report the self-orientation of crescent-shaped hydrogel microparticles and elucidate its mechanism. Additionally, the microparticles were used, for the first time, as micro-buckets to carry living cells. In aqueous solution, the microparticles spontaneously rotated to a preferred orientation with the cavity facing up. We developed a geometric model that explains the self-orienting behavior of crescent-shaped particles by minimizing the potential energy of this specific morphology. Finally, we selectively modified the particles’ cavities with RGD peptide and exploited their preferred orientation to load them with living cells. Cells could adhere, proliferate, and be transported and released in vitro. These micro-buckets hold a great potential for applications in smart materials, cell therapy, and biological engineering.

In the main text, a citation to Ref 55 has been changed to Ref 182 (and vice versa). In the Supplementary information, corrections were made to reactions 16–18, and Refs 4, 5 and 42. Compounds numbers in the text have been styled to emphasize they represent chemical species..

Even though enzymes are the cornerstones of living systems, it has so far proven difficult to deploy artificial catalysts in a biological setting. Organocatalysts are arguably well-suited artificial catalysts for this purpose because, compared with enzymes and inorganic catalysts, they are simpler, often less toxic and widely accessible. This Review describes how organocatalysts that operate in aqueous media might enable us to selectively access new chemical transformations and provide new possibilities for chemical biology and biomedicine. Organocatalysts can be categorized according to the mechanisms by which they activate substrates, drawing comparisons with enzymes. We describe the characteristics of a catalyst that are necessary for biological compatibility and in vivo applicability, and use these to evaluate a selection of organocatalytic reactions. The attributes of the catalyst (such as functional groups and pK_a values) and the reaction (such as the microenvironment surrounding intermediates) are key considerations when developing efficient organocatalysis in aqueous media. Although we only know of a limited set of organocatalytic reactions with biological potential, on the basis of recent developments we expect a bright future for organocatalysis in biology, to the benefit of chemical biology and biomedicine.