Issue 24, 2017

The particle in the spider's web: transport through biological hydrogels

Abstract

Biological hydrogels such as mucus, extracellular matrix, biofilms, and the nuclear pore have diverse functions and compositions, but all act as selectively permeable barriers to the diffusion of particles. Each barrier has a crosslinked polymeric mesh that blocks penetration of large particles such as pathogens, nanotherapeutics, or macromolecules. These polymeric meshes also employ interactive filtering, in which affinity between solutes and the gel matrix controls permeability. Interactive filtering affects the transport of particles of all sizes including peptides, antibiotics, and nanoparticles and in many cases this filtering can be described in terms of the effects of charge and hydrophobicity. The concepts described in this review can guide strategies to exploit or overcome gel barriers, particularly for applications in diagnostics, pharmacology, biomaterials, and drug delivery.

Graphical abstract: The particle in the spider's web: transport through biological hydrogels

Article information

Article type
Feature Article
Submitted
18 Dec 2016
Accepted
12 May 2017
First published
16 May 2017

Nanoscale, 2017,9, 8080-8095

The particle in the spider's web: transport through biological hydrogels

J. Witten and K. Ribbeck, Nanoscale, 2017, 9, 8080 DOI: 10.1039/C6NR09736G

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