Amino-terminated Poly(ethylene glycol) (AT-PEG) Polymer Hydrogels as Efficient Anionic Dye Adsorbents

pH/Temperature Dual-Responsive Protein-Polymer Conjugates for Potential Therapeutic Hypothermia in Ischemic Stroke

Thrombolytic therapy for ischemic stroke still has several limitations, such as a narrow therapeutic time window and adverse effects. Therapeutic hypothermia is a neuroprotective strategy for stroke. In this study, we developed pH/temperature dual-responsive protein-polymer conjugates (PEG-uPA-PEG-PPG-PEG) by modifying a urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(propylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-PPG-PEG, a thermosensitive polymer) via pH-sensitive imine bonds and disulfide bonds, respectively. At 37 °C and pH 7.4 (normothermia and physiological pH), PEG-uPA-PEG-PPG-PEG exhibits antiprotease hydrolysis and masked bioactivity of uPA due to the protective effect of the polymer segments wrapped around the protein surface. However, at 33 °C and pH 6.0 (hypothermia and pH at the thrombotic site), uPA loses the protective effect and recovers its bioactivity due to PEG dissociation and PEG-PPG-PEG stretching. The masked bioactivity of uPA at normothermia and physiological pH could reduce the risk of acute hemorrhage complication, and the recovery of protein activity at acidic pH and 33 °C is of great significance for thrombolytic therapy at mild hypothermia. Thus, PEG-uPA-PEG-PPG-PEG provides promising potential for therapeutic hypothermia in ischemic stroke.

Facile preparation of self-assembled hydrogels constructed from poly-cyclodextrin and poly-adamantane as highly selective adsorbents for wastewater treatment

Self-assembled hydrogel materials constructed from cyclodextrin polymer (P-CD)/adamantane-modified poly acrylic acid (PAA-Ad) were designed and prepared via host-guest interactions. It was observed that the prepared supramolecular hydrogels had an interconnected three-dimensional porous network. In addition, the obtained hydrogels showed a recovery performance and it was confirmed that the host-guest interactions between β-cyclodextrin and adamantane were the main driving force for the formation of the hydrogels. The mechanical properties of the hydrogels could be adjusted by varying the concentrations of PAA-Ad. In particular, the prepared supramolecular hydrogels exhibited superior performances in water purification. The results demonstrated that the hydrogels possessed different mechanisms in the adsorption of the four typical poisonous organic dye molecules used, including bisphenol A (BPA), 4-aminoazobenzene (N-Azo), methylene blue (MB), and rhodamine B (RhB). The hydrogels mainly adsorbed N-Azo by host-guest interaction and adsorbed BPA by host-guest interaction and hydrogen bond synergy. They also adsorbed MB and RhB by hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction.

Stretchable self-healing hydrogels capable of heavy metal ion scavenging

Self-healing hydrogels were prepared by simply mixing phytic acid (PA) and chitosan (CS) in water. Determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the hydrogels were found to be a three-dimensional (3D) porous network structure. The formation of the network structure was considered to be mainly driven by electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding, cooperating with the subtle balance of multiple noncovalent interactions. The rheological data indicated that the hydrogels presented excellent mechanical properties with an elastic modulus of 20 000 Pa and a yield stress exceeding 7000 Pa. The dynamic dissociation and recombination of hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction in fractured regions of the gels initiated the self-healable property of PA/CS hydrogels. Since PA had high coordination ability to metal ions, PA/CS hydrogels were shown to exhibit excellent capability for capturing heavy metal ions, for example, Pb2+ and Cd2+. The PA/CS hydrogels provided a simple, green, and high efficiency strategic approach to scavenging heavy-metal ions from industrial sewage.