Issue 29, 2020

The rise of bio-inspired polymer compartments responding to pathology-related signals

Abstract

Self-organized nano- and microscale polymer compartments such as polymersomes, giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs), polyion complex vesicles (PICsomes) and layer-by-layer (LbL) capsules have increasing potential in many sensing applications. Besides modifying the physicochemical properties of the corresponding polymer building blocks, the versatility of these compartments can be markedly expanded by biomolecules that endow the nanomaterials with specific molecular and cellular functions. In this review, we focus on polymer-based compartments that preserve their structure, and highlight the key role they play in the field of medical diagnostics: first, the self-assembling abilities that result in preferred architectures are presented for a broad range of polymers. In the following, we describe different strategies for sensing disease-related signals (pH-change, reductive conditions, and presence of ions or biomolecules) by polymer compartments that exhibit stimuli-responsiveness. In particular, we distinguish between the stimulus-sensitivity contributed by the polymer itself or by additional compounds embedded in the compartments in different sensing systems. We then address necessary properties of sensing polymeric compartments, such as the enhancement of their stability and biocompatibility, or the targeting ability, that open up new perspectives for diagnostic applications.

Graphical abstract: The rise of bio-inspired polymer compartments responding to pathology-related signals

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
21 фев 2020
Accepted
01 май 2020
First published
01 май 2020
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2020,8, 6252-6270

The rise of bio-inspired polymer compartments responding to pathology-related signals

L. Zartner, M. S. Muthwill, I. A. Dinu, C. Schoenenberger and C. G. Palivan, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2020, 8, 6252 DOI: 10.1039/D0TB00475H

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