Nucleoside-based organogelators: gelation by the G–G base pair formation of alkylsilylated guanosine derivatives

α-D Nucleoside Based Self-Healing Supramolecular Hydrogels Derived from the α-D Anomers of 2'-Deoxyguanosine and Fluorescent 8-Azapurine 2'-Deoxyribofuranosides

Self-assembly of α-D nucleosides to supramolecular hydrogels is described in detail. Hydrogel formation is studied on α-D 2'-deoxyguanosine (α-dG), and the fluorescent 8-azapurine α-D nucleosides 2-amino-8-aza-2'-deoxyadenosine (α-2-NH2-z8Ad) and 8-aza-2'-deoxyisoguanosine (α-z8iGd). These compounds were prepared from α-D 8-aza-2'-deoxyguanosine by an activation/amination protocol followed by deamination. Protonation and deprotonation pKa values of monomeric nucleosides were determined. Fluorescence measurements displayed the pH-dependent fluorescence intensity of α-D 8-azapurine nucleosides. α-dG and α-z8iGd self-assemble to gels that are selective for K+-ions. The α-dG gel is transparent and the α-z8iGd gel shows fluorescence. α-2-NH2-z8Ad forms fluorescent gels in the presence of alkali metal ions of different size. SEM images expose a large condensed and flat structure for the α-dG gel, whereas the α-2-NH2-z8Ad gel consists of flakes that are connected to bundles. A porous structure generated by helical cylindric fibers was found for the α-z8iGd gel. All α-D hydrogels show long-term lifetime stability. The α-z8iGd hydrogel in KCl solution has the highest Tgel value. The minimum gelation concentration of the hydrogels is 0.3-0.5 mg nucleoside/100 μL alkali ion solution. In periodical step-strain experiments, the hydrogels of α-dG, α-2-NH2-z8Ad and α-z8iGd displayed thixotropy. Based on their self-healing and shear-thinning properties the hydrogels are injectable.

Heterocycle-modified 2'-Deoxyguanosine Nucleolipid Analogs Stabilize Guanosine Gels and Self-assemble to Form Green Fluorescent Gels

Nucleoside-lipid conjugates are very useful supramolecular building blocks to construct self-assembled architectures suited for biomedical and material applications. Such nucleoside derivatives can be further synthetically manipulated to endow additional functionalities that could augment the assembling process and impart interesting properties. Here, we report the design, synthesis and self-assembling process of multifunctional supramolecular nucleolipid synthons containing an environment-sensitive fluorescent guanine. The amphiphilic synthons are composed of an 8-(2-(benzofuran-2-yl)vinyl)-guanine core and alkyl chains attached to 3'-O and 5'-O-positions of 2'-deoxyguanosine. The 2-(benzofuran-2-yl)vinyl (BFV) moiety attached at the C8 position of the nucleobase adopted a syn conformation about the glycosidic bond, which facilitated the self-assembly process through the formation of a G-tetrad as the basic unit. While 3',5'-diacylated BFV-modified dG analog stabilized the guanosine hydrogel by hampering the crystallization process and imparted fluorescence, BFV-modified dGs containing longer alkyl chains formed a green fluorescent organogel, which transformed into a yellow fluorescent gel in the presence of a complementary non-fluorescent cytidine nucleolipid. The ability of the dG analog containing short alkyl chains to modulate the mechanical property of a gel, and interesting fluorescence properties and self-assembling behavior exhibited by the dG analogs containing long alkyl chains in response to heat and complementary base underscore the potential use of these new supramolecular synthons in material applications.

Self-complementary hydrogen-bond interactions of guanosine: a hub for constructing supra-amphiphilic polymers with controlled molecular structure and aggregate morphology

A supra-amphiphilic polymer (SAP) with controlled molecular structures is constructed, in this work, via self-complementary hydrogen bonding of guanosine groups between a hydrophilic block, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), and a hydrophobic block, poly(ε-caprolactone). By simply changing the mixing ratio of the guanosine-capped hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks, a series of SAPs with tailored nanostructures are constructed, which can further self-assemble into different nano-aggregates in solution, including spheres, vesicles and large vesicle micelles. The thermo-induced phase transition of the hydrophilic block induces the fusion and aggregation of the nanoparticles into irregular particles upon heating, which further transform to large compound vesicles after cooling.

A supramolecular peptide polymer from hydrogen-bond and coordination-driven self-assembly

A terpyridine- and guanine-functionalized peptide was developed that could form different morphologies by self-assembly or coordination with Fe²⁺ in dimethyl sulfoxide.

Bipyridine based metallogels: an unprecedented difference in photochemical and chemical reduction in the in situ nanoparticle formation

Metal co-ordination induced supramolecular gelation of low molecular weight organic ligands is a rapidly expanding area of research due to the potential in creating hierarchically self-assembled multi-stimuli responsive materials. In this context, structurally simple O-methylpyridine derivatives of 4,4'-dihydroxy-2,2'-bipyridine ligands are reported. Upon complexation with Ag(i) ions in aqueous dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solutions the ligands spontaneously form metallosupramolecular gels at concentrations as low as 0.6 w/v%. The metal ions induce the self-assembly of three dimensional (3D) fibrillar networks followed by the spontaneous in situ reduction of the Ag-centers to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) when exposed to daylight. Significant size and morphological differences of the AgNP's was observed between the standard chemical and photochemical reduction of the metallogels. The gelation ability, the nanoparticle formation and rheological properties were found to be depend on the ligand structure, while the strength of the gels is affected by the water content of the gels.

Unusual C-I···O Halogen Bonding in Triazole Derivatives: Gelation Solvents at Two Extremes of Polarity and Formation of Superorganogels

To investigate the influence of halogen bond (XB) on the gelation of a one-component organogel system, a new family of 5-iodo-1H-1,2,3-triazole and 1H-1,2,3-triazole gelators was designed and synthesized. The iodo gelators (1I, 3I) gelled various solvents at low concentrations and formed many superorganogels, whereas the hydrogenous gelators (1H, 3H) showed much poorer gelling performance. An X-ray analysis of the single crystals of two reference compounds (16I, 16H) reveals that the unusual C-I···O XB interaction is responsible for this difference. The results of spectroscopic examinations (XRD, SEM, ¹H NMR, and UV) are well consistent with those of single-crystal analyses. Under the guidance of the XB interaction and the weak π-π interaction, 1I and 3I self-assemble to hexagonal columnar aggregations in the gel state, whereas 1H and 3H, driven by CH-π interactions, feature the formation of gels with a lamellar structure. The mechanical property of iodo gels is much better than that of hydrogenous gels under the same concentration. Gels from 1I respond to the stimuli of Hg²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Mg²⁺ as perchlorate salts, and gels from 1H are selectively responsive to Hg²⁺ solely.

Supramolecular gels made from nucleobase, nucleoside and nucleotide analogs

Supramolecular or molecular gels are attractive for various applications, including diagnostics, tissue scaffolding and targeted drug release. Gelators derived from natural products are of particular interest for biomedical purposes, as they are generally biocompatible and stimuli-responsive. The building blocks of nucleic acids (i.e. nucleobases, nucleosides, and nucleotides) are desirable candidates for supramolecular gelation as they readily engage in reversible, noncovalent interactions. In this review, we describe a number of organo- and hydrogels formed through the assembly of nucleosides, nucleotides, and their derivatives. While natural nucleosides and nucleotides generally require derivatization to induce gelation, guanosine and its corresponding nucleotides are well known gelators. This unique gelating ability is due to propensity of the guanine nucleobase to self-associate into stable higher-order assemblies, such as G-ribbons, G4-quartets, and G-quadruplexes.

Characterization of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-nucleobase supramolecular complexes featuring bio-multiple hydrogen bonds

In this study we employed poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) as a matrix that we hybridized with five different nucleobase units (adenine, thymine, uracil, guanine, cytosine) to generate PNIPAAm-nucleobase supramolecular complexes (PNSCs) stabilized through bio-multiple hydrogen bonds (BMHBs). These nucleobase units interacted with PNIPAAm through BMHBs of various strengths, leading to competition between the BMHBs and the intramolecular hydrogen bonds (HBs) of PNIPAAm. The changes in morphology, crystalline structure, and thermoresponsive behavior of PNIPAAm were related to the strength of its BMHBs with the nucleobases. The strengths of the BMHBs followed the order guanine > adenine > thymine > cytosine > uracil, as verified through analyses of Fourier transform infrared spectra, lower critical solution temperatures, and inter-association equilibrium constants. The PNSCs also exhibited remarkable improvements in conductivity upon the formation of BMHBs, which facilitated proton transport. The neat PNIPAAm film was an insulator, but it transformed into a semiconductor after hybridizing with the nucleobases. In particular, the resistivity of the PNIPAAm-guanine supramolecular complex decreased to 1.35 × 10(5) ohm cm. The resistivity of the PNIPAAm-cytosine supramolecular complex increased significantly from 5.83 × 10(6) to 3 × 10(8) ohm cm upon increasing the temperature from 40 to 50 °C, suggesting that this material might have applicability in thermo-sensing. The ability to significantly improve the conductivity of hydrogels through such a simple approach involving BMHBs might facilitate their use as novel materials in bioelectronics.

Insights into low molecular mass organic gelators: a focus on drug delivery and tissue engineering applications

In recent years low molecular mass organic gelators (LMOGs) have gained increasing interest as an alternative biomaterial to polymer derived gels, with potential applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering. LMOGs are small organic molecules which self-assemble in water or organic solvents forming a 3D network that entraps the liquid phase resulting in gel formation. In this review, we report the classification of LMOGs into hydrogelators and gelators of organic solvents and we discuss the techniques commonly used to characterise the gels of these gelators with particular reference to specific applications of LMOGs in drug delivery and tissue engineering.

Self-assembly of guanosine and deoxy-guanosine into hydrogels: monovalent cation guided modulation of gelation, morphology and self-healing properties

The gelation, morphological, fluorescence and thixotropic properties of the purine nucleoside based hydrogels were found to modulate with metal ions.

Diffusion and birefringence of bioactive dyes in a supramolecular guanosine hydrogel

Transparent self-standing supramolecular hydrogels were readily prepared by the potassium-ion-mediated self-organization of guanosine and 8-bromoguanosine whilst the individual components precipitated within a few hours. VT-NMR spectroscopy showed that bromoguanosine was a superior gelator compared to guanosine. XRD analysis showed that gel formation was caused by stacked G-quartets. AFM analysis revealed dendritic architectures of the nanofibers in the two-component hydrogel network. DSC profiles showed that the hybrid hydrogels underwent sol-gel transition at lower temperature than the pure guanosine and bromoguanosine hydrogels. Interestingly, bioactive dyes, such as rose bengal, rhodamine-6-G, and fluorescein, could be diffused and released in a controlled manner. UV/Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy and CLSM were used to investigate the diffusion behavior of dyes in the hydrogel network. These dyes exhibited strong birefringence in the gel network (0.07-0.1) as a result of the anisotropic organization.

Design, synthesis and characterisation of guanosine-based amphiphiles

A small library of sugar-modified guanosine derivatives has been prepared, starting from a common intermediate, fully protected on the nucleobase. Insertion of myristoyl chains and of diverse hydrophilic groups, such as an oligoethylene glycol, an amino acid or a disaccharide chain, connected through in vivo reversible ester linkages, or of a charged functional group provided different examples of amphiphilic guanosine analogues, named G1-G7 herein. All of the sugar-modified derivatives were positive in the potassium picrate test, showing an ability to form G-tetrads. CD spectra demonstrated that, as dilute solutions in CHCl(3), distinctive G-quadruplex systems may be formed, with spatial organisations dependent upon the structural modifications. Two compounds, G1 and G2, proved to be good low-molecular-weight organogelators in polar organic solvents, such as methanol, ethanol and acetonitrile. Ion transportation experiments through phospholipid bilayers were carried out to evaluate their ability to mediate H(+) transportation, with G5 showing the highest activity within the investigated series. Moreover, G3 and G5 exhibited a significant cytotoxic profile against human MCF-7 cancer cells in in vitro bioassays.

Diverse morphologies of self-assemblies from homoditopic 1,18-nucleotide-appended bolaamphiphiles: effects of nucleobases and complementary oligonucleotides

The synthesis of 1,18-nucleotide-appended bolaamphiphiles (1, 2, 4, and 6) is reported, in which a 3'-phosphorylated guanidine, adenosine, thymidine, or cytidine is connected to each end of an octadecamethylene chain. Single-component self-assemblies and binary self-assemblies with the complementary oligonucleotides dC(20), dT(20), dA(20), and dG(20) are studied by atomic force microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction analysis, temperature-dependent UV absorption, circular dichroism, and attenuated total-reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The single-component self-assembly of 1 forms a two-dimensional sheet, whereas the binary self-assembly 1/dC(20) gives helical nanofibers. Non-helical nanofibers are observed for the single-component self-assemblies of 2 and 4, and helical nanofibers form from the binary self-assembly 2/dT(20). Interestingly, helical nanorod structures are obtained from the binary self-assembly 4/dA(20), and the aligned nanorods form a nematic phase. The single-component and binary self-assemblies from 6 give unilamellar vesicles owing to a lack of stacking interaction between the cytosine moieties.

Influence of tunable external stimuli on the self-assembly of guanosine supramolecular nanostructures studied by atomic force microscope

The self-assembly of guanosine (G) molecules on solid surfaces is investigated by tapping-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) upon controlling and introducing external factors (stimuli) to the G stock solution such as incubation time, presence/absence of metal cations, and mechanical shaking. Surprisingly, at different stages of incubation time at room temperature and in the absence of any metal cations in the G stock solution, which are known to be one of the governing factors in forming G-nanostructures, two assembly pathways resulting into two distinct supramolecular nanostructures were revealed. Astonishingly, by introducing a mechanical shaking of the tube containing the G stock solution, one-dimensional (1D) wires of G molecules are observed by AFM, and very interestingly, novel "branched" supramolecular nanostructures are formed. We have also observed that the later branched G nanostructures can grow further into a two-dimensional (2D) thin film by increasing the incubation time of the G stock solution at room temperature after it is exposed to the external mechanical stimuli. The self-assembled nanostructures of G molecules are changed significantly by tuning the assembly conditions, which show that it is indeed possible to grow complex 2D nanostructures from simple nucleoside molecules.

Guanosine hydrogen-bonded scaffolds: a new way to control the bottom-up realisation of well-defined nanoarchitectures

Over the last two decades, guanosine-related molecules have been of interest in different areas, ranging from structural biology to medicinal chemistry, supramolecular chemistry and nanotechnology. The guanine base is a multiple hydrogen-bonding unit, capable also of binding to cations, and fits very well with contemporary studies in supramolecular chemistry, self-assembly and non-covalent synthesis. This Concepts article, after reviewing on the diversification of self-organised assemblies from guanosine-based low-molecular-weight molecules, will mainly focus on the use of guanine moiety as a potential scaffold for designing functional materials of tailored physical properties.

Molecular engineering of supramolecular scaffold coatings that can reduce static platelet adhesion

Novel supramolecular coatings that make use of low-molecular weight ditopic monomers with guanine end groups are studied using fluid tapping AFM. These molecules assemble on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) from aqueous solutions to form nanosized banding structures whose sizes can be systematically tuned at the nanoscale by tailoring the molecular structure of the monomers. The nature of the self-assembly in these systems has been studied through a combination of the self-assembly of structural derivatives and molecular modeling. Furthermore, we introduce the concept of using these molecular assemblies as scaffolds to organize functional groups on the surface. As a first demonstration of this concept, scaffold monomers that contain a monomethyl triethyleneglycol branch were used to organize these "functional" units on a HOPG surface. These supramolecular grafted assemblies have been shown to be stable at biologically relevant temperatures and even have the ability to significantly reduce static platelet adhesion.