Emerging Supramolecular Therapeutic Carriers Based on Host–Guest Interactions

Recent advances in host–guest chemistry have significantly influenced the construction of supramolecular soft biomaterials. The highly selective and non‐covalent interactions provide vast possibilities of manipulating supramolecular self‐assemblies at the molecular level, allowing a rational design to control the sizes and morphologies of the resultant objects as carrier vehicles in a delivery system. In this Focus Review, the most recent developments of supramolecular self‐assemblies through host–guest inclusion, including nanoparticles, micelles, vesicles, hydrogels, and various stimuli‐responsive morphology transition materials are presented. These sophisticated materials with diverse functions, oriented towards therapeutic agent delivery, are further summarized into several active domains in the areas of drug delivery, gene delivery, co‐delivery and site‐specific targeting deliveries. Finally, the possible strategies for future design of multifunctional delivery carriers by combining host–guest chemistry with biological interface science are proposed.     

Temperature‐Sensitive Artificial Channels through Pillar[5]arene‐based Host–Guest Interactions

In living systems, temperature‐sensitive ion channels play a vital role in numerous cellular processes and can be controlled by biological ion channels in response to specific temperature stimuli. Facile pillar[5]arene‐based host–guest interactions are introduced into a nanochannel pattern for constructing a temperature‐sensitive artificial channel. Ion transport was switched from cations to anions by controlling the extent of the host bound to the guest with temperature stimuli. This efect is mainly due to the changing of the inner surface charge and wettability of the nanochannel during the process. This study paves a new way for better understanding the mechanism of temperature‐sensitive properties and shows great promise for biomedical research.     

Dynamic Hydrogels from Host–Guest Supramolecular Interactions

Hydrogel biomaterials are pervasive in biomedical use. Applications of these soft materials range from contact lenses to drug depots to scaffolds for transplanted cells. A subset of hydrogels is prepared from physical cross‐linking mediated by host–guest interactions. Host macrocycles, the most recognizable supramolecular motif, facilitate complex formation with an array of guests by inclusion in their portal. Commonly, an appended macrocycle forms a complex with appended guests on another polymer chain. The formation of poly(pseudo)rotaxanes is also demonstrated, wherein macrocycles are threaded by a polymer chain to give rise to physical cross‐linking by secondary non‐covalent interactions or polymer jamming. Host–guest supramolecular hydrogels lend themselves to a variety of applications resulting from their dynamic properties that arise from non‐covalent supramolecular interactions, as well as engineered responsiveness to external stimuli. These are thus an exciting new class of materials.     

Tailoring Polymeric Hydrogels through Cyclodextrin Host–Guest Complexation

A close correllation between molecular‐level interactions and macroscopic characteristics of polymer networks exists. The characteristics of the polymeric hydrogels assembled from β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) and adamantyl (AD) substituted poly(acrylate)s can be tailored through selective host–guest complexation between β‐CD and AD substituents and their tethers. Dominantly, steric effects and competitive intra‐ and intermolecular host–guest complexation are found to control poly(acrylate) isomeric inter‐strand linkage in polymer network formation. This understanding of the factors involved in polymeric hydrogel formation points the way towards the construction of increasingly sophisticated biocompatible materials.

     

Host–Guest Interactions in ExBox4+

The host–guest interaction between poly aromatic hydrocarbon/azine and the newly synthesized ExBox⁴⁺ complex is studied with the help of density functional theory. The solvent‐phase interaction energy is found to decrease with gradual substitution of methine groups (?CH?) from the six‐membered ring of guest molecules with N atoms in the resultant azine@ExBox⁴⁺ complex. The nature of the binding interaction is studied with the help of newly developed noncovalent interaction (NCI) plot program package along with energy decomposition analysis and charge decomposition analysis. The interactions are mostly π‐type van der Waals interactions.     

Controlling the Host–Guest Interaction Mode through a Redox Stimulus

A proof‐of‐concept related to the redox‐control of the binding/releasing process in a host–guest system is achieved by designing a neutral and robust Pt‐based redox‐active metallacage involving two extended‐tetrathiafulvalene (exTTF) ligands. When neutral, the cage is able to bind a planar polyaromatic guest (coronene). Remarkably, the chemical or electrochemical oxidation of the host–guest complex leads to the reversible expulsion of the guest outside the cavity, which is assigned to a drastic change of the host–guest interaction mode, illustrating the key role of counteranions along the exchange process. The reversible process is supported by various experimental data (¹H NMR spectroscopy, ESI‐FTICR, and spectroelectrochemistry) as well as by in‐depth theoretical calculations performed at the density functional theory (DFT) level.     

Constructing Adaptive Photosensitizers via Supramolecular Modification Based on Pillararene Host–Guest Interactions

In order to promote the development of photodynamic therapy (PDT), undesired side effects like low tumor specificity and the “always‐on” phenomenon should be avoided. An effective solution is to construct an adaptive photosensitizer that can be activated to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the tumor microenvironment. Herein, we design and synthesize a supramolecular switch based on a host–guest complex containing a water‐soluble pillar[5]arene ( WP5 ) and an AIEgen photosensitizer ( G ). The formation of the host–guest complex WP5 ? G quenches the fluorescence and inhibits ROS generation of G . Benefitting from the pH‐responsiveness of WP5 , the binding site between G and WP5 changes in an acidic environment through a shuttle movement. Consequently, fluorescence and ROS generation of the host–guest complex can be switched on at pH 5.0. This work offers a new paradigm for the construction of adaptive photosensitizers by using a supramolecular method.     

Self‐Healing,Expansion–Contraction,and Shape‐Memory Properties of a Preorganized Supramolecular Hydrogel through Host–Guest Interactions

Supramolecular materials cross‐linked between polymer chains by noncovalent bonds have the potential to provide dynamic functions that are not produced by covalently cross‐linked polymeric materials. We focused on the formation of supramolecular polymeric materials through host–guest interactions: a powerful method for the creation of nonconventional materials. We employed two different kinds of host–guest inclusion complexes of β‐cyclodextrin (βCD) with adamantane (Ad) and ferrocene (Fc) to bind polymers together to form a supramolecular hydrogel (βCD‐Ad‐Fc gel). The βCD‐Ad‐Fc gel showed self‐healing ability when damaged and responded to redox stimuli by expansion or contraction. Moreover, the βCD‐Ad‐Fc gel showed a redox‐responsive shape‐morphing effect. We thus succeeded in deriving three functions from the introduction of two kinds of functional units into a supramolecular material.     

Fluorescent Linear Supramolecular Polymer Based on Host‐Guest Interactions

Construction of supramolecular polymers, in which functional monomer components are held together by noncovalent interactions, is considered as a promising design principle for functional materials. Linear fluorescent supramolecular polymer assembled on account of electrostatic attractions based host‐guest interaction is synthesized and illustrated here. ¹H NMR was involved to ensure the structure of guest and polymer, UV –vis and fluorescent spectra were recorded to be a readout signal to investigate the assemble process of polymer. TEM and AFM measurements were carried out to confirm the homogeneous nanometer‐sized molecular assembly. It shows the way to be used as remote readout fluorescent functional material in the future.