Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive tellurium-containing hyperbranched polymer

Abstract

Materials responsive to reactive oxygen species (ROS) at a physiological level are of great significance in diagnostic and therapeutic applications. We have synthesized a water-soluble tellurium-containing hyperbranched polymer and demonstrated that it forms a kind of ROS-responsive aggregate. In aqueous environment, the polymer aggregates can swell under biologically relevant concentration of H₂O₂, which could be expected to find applications in fields such as elimination of excess ROS.