Cell-surface Labeling via Bioorthogonal Host-Guest Chemistry

Engineering extracellular vesicles for ROS scavenging and tissue regeneration

Stem cell therapy holds promise for tissue regeneration, yet significant challenges persist. Emerging as a safer and potentially more effective alternative, extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from stem cells exhibit remarkable abilities to activate critical signaling cascades, thereby facilitating tissue repair. EVs, nano-scale membrane vesicles, mediate intercellular communication by encapsulating a diverse cargo of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Their therapeutic potential lies in delivering cargos, activating signaling pathways, and efficiently mitigating oxidative stress-an essential aspect of overcoming limitations in stem cell-based tissue repair. This review focuses on engineering and applying EVs in tissue regeneration, emphasizing their role in regulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) pathways. Additionally, we explore strategies to enhance EV therapeutic activity, including functionalization and incorporation of antioxidant defense proteins. Understanding these molecular mechanisms is crucial for optimizing EV-based regenerative therapies. Insights into EV and ROS signaling modulation pave the way for targeted and efficient regenerative therapies harnessing the potential of EVs.

Adamantylglycine as a high-affinity peptide label for membrane transport monitoring and regulation

The non-canonical amino acid adamantylglycine (Ada) is introduced into peptides to allow high-affinity binding to cucurbit[7]uril (CB7). Introduction of Ada into a cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) sequence had minimal influence on the membrane transport, yet enabled up- and down-regulation of the membrane transport activity.

Biochemically functionalized probes for cell-type-specific targeting and recording in the brain

Selective targeting and modulation of distinct cell types and neuron subtypes is central to understanding complex neural circuitry and could enable electronic treatments that target specific circuits while minimizing off-target effects. However, current brain-implantable electronics have not yet achieved cell-type specificity. We address this challenge by functionalizing flexible mesh electronic probes, which elicit minimal immune response, with antibodies or peptides to target specific cell markers. Histology studies reveal selective association of targeted neurons, astrocytes, and microglia with functionalized probe surfaces without accumulating off-target cells. In vivo chronic electrophysiology further yields recordings consistent with selective targeting of these cell types. Last, probes functionalized to target dopamine receptor 2 expressing neurons show the potential for neuron-subtype-specific targeting and electrophysiology.

Biochemically-functionalized probes for cell type-specific targeting and recording in the brain

Selective targeting and modulation of distinct cell types and neuron subtypes is central to understanding complex neural circuitry, and could enable electronic treatments that target specific circuits while minimizing off-target effects. However, current brain-implantable electronics have not yet achieved cell-type specificity. We address this challenge by functionalizing flexible mesh electronic probes, which elicit minimal immune response, with antibodies or peptides to target specific cell markers. Histology studies reveal selective association of targeted neurons, astrocytes and microglia with functionalized probe surfaces without accumulating off-target cells. In vivo chronic electrophysiology further yields recordings consistent with selective targeting of these cell types. Last, probes functionalized to target dopamine 2 receptor expressing neurons show the potential for neuron subtype specific targeting and electrophysiology.

Cell-based Relay Delivery Strategy in Biomedical Applications

The relay delivery strategy is a two-step targeting approach based on two distinct modules in which the first step with an initiator is to artificially create a target/environment which can be targeted by the follow-up effector. This relay delivery concept creates opportunities to amplify existing or create new targeted signals through deploying initiators to enhance the accumulation efficiency of the following effector at the disease site. As the "live" medicines, cell-based therapeutics possess inherent tissue/cell homing abilities and favorable feasibility of biological and chemical modifications, endowing them the great potential in specifically interacting with diverse biological environments. All these unique capabilities make cellular products great candidates that can serve as either initiators or effectors for relay delivery strategies. In this review, we survey recent advances in relay delivery strategies with a specific focus on the roles of various cells in developing relay delivery systems.

Multicolor Iridium(III) Complexes with Host-Guest Recognition Motifs for Enhanced Electrochemiluminescence and Modular Labeling

Cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes with high electrochemiluminescence (ECL) efficiency and appropriate bioconjugation sites are urgently needed in ECL immunoassays (ECLIA). Herein, we report the synthesis, photophysics, electrochemistry, and ECL of six new Ir(III) complexes bearing naphthyl (nap) or adamantane phenyl (adap) substitutions, four of which emit cyan, green, or red light and display 1.7- to 7.5-fold increases in ECL intensity. In combination with DFT/TDDFT calculations, this enhancement is rationalized to the augmented radiative rate that arises from both the strengthened spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and the increased transition dipole moment. In addition, the adap-based Ir(III) complex shows high binding affinity with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) due to the strong hydrophobic interaction, which enables us to develop a modular strategy for the labeling of Ir(III) complexes with biomolecules and to use hydrophobic luminophores in the aqueous-phase detection. As demonstrated, a novel ECLIA is built up and exhibits a wide linear range from 1 ng/mL to 10 μg/mL and a detection limit of 72 pg/mL for the determination of C-reactive protein (CRP). These findings provide new insights into the design, synthesis, and bio-labeling of highly emissive Ir(III) complexes and pave the way for the development of novel ECLIA based on host-guest recognition motifs.

A Fluorescent Unnatural Mannosamine Derivative with Enhanced Emission Upon Complexation with Cucurbit[7]uril

Metabolic incorporation of unnatural functionality on glycans has allowed chemical biologists to observe and affect cellular processes. Recent work has resulted in glycan-fluorophore structures that allow for direct visualization of glycan-mediated processes, shining light on their role in living systems. This work describes the serendipitous discovery of a small chemical reporter-fluorophore. Investigations into the mechanism of fluorescence arising from (trimethylsilyl)methylglycine appended on mannosamine suggest rigidity and restriction of lone pair geometry contribute to the fluorescent behaviour. In fact, in situ cyclization and encapsulation in cucurbit[7]uril enhance fluorescence to levels that can be observed in live cells. While the reported unnatural mannosamine does not traverse the sialic acid biosynthetic pathway, this discovery may lead to small, "turn-on" chemical reporters for incorporation in living systems.

Rapid Access to Chiral and Tripodal Cavitands from β-Pinene

We report Pd-catalyzed cyclotrimerization of (+)-α-bromoenone, obtained from monoterpene β-pinene, into an enantiopure cyclotrimer. This C₃ symmetric compound has three bicyclo[3.1.1]heptane rings fused to its central benzene with each ring carrying a carbonyl group. The cyclotrimer undergoes diastereoselective threefold alkynylation with the lithium salts of five terminal alkynes (41-63 %, de=4-83 %). The addition enabled a rapid synthesis of a small library of novel chiral cavitands that, in shape, resemble a tripod stand. These molecular tripods include a tris-bicycloannelated benzene head attached to three alkyne legs twisted in one direction to form a nonpolar cavity with polar groups as feet. Tripods with methylpyridinium and methylisoquinolinium legs, respectively, form inclusion complexes with anti-inflammatory and chiral drugs (R)/(S)-ibuprofen and (R)/(S)-naproxen. The mode of binding shows drug molecules docked in the cavity of the host through ion-ion, cation-π, and C-H-π contacts that, in addition of desolvation, give rise to complexes having millimolar to micromolar stability in water. Our findings open the door to creating a myriad of enantiopure tripods with tunable functions that, in the future, might give novel chemosensors, catalysts or sequestering agents.

DNA Strand Displacement Driven by Host-Guest Interactions

Base-pair-driven toehold-mediated strand displacement (BP-TMSD) is a fundamental concept employed for constructing DNA machines and networks with a gamut of applications─from theranostics to computational devices. To broaden the toolbox of dynamic DNA chemistry, herein, we introduce a synthetic surrogate termed host-guest-driven toehold-mediated strand displacement (HG-TMSD) that utilizes bioorthogonal, cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) interactions with guest-linked input sequences. Since control of the strand-displacement process is salient, we demonstrate how HG-TMSD can be finely modulated via changes to the structure of the input sequence (including synthetic guest head-group and/or linker length). Further, for a given input sequence, competing small-molecule guests can serve as effective regulators (with fine and coarse control) of HG-TMSD. To show integration into functional devices, we have incorporated HG-TMSD into machines that control enzyme activity and layered reactions that detect specific microRNA.

Cucurbit[7]uril Macrocyclic Sensors for Optical Fingerprinting: Predicting Protein Structural Changes to Identifying Disease-Specific Amyloid Assemblies

In a three-dimensional (3D) representation, each protein molecule displays a specific pattern of chemical and topological features, which are altered during its misfolding and aggregation pathway. Generating a recognizable fingerprint from such features could provide an enticing approach not only to identify these biomolecules but also to gain clues regarding their folding state and the occurrence of pathologically lethal misfolded aggregates. We report here a universal strategy to generate a fluorescent fingerprint from biomolecules by employing the pan-selective molecular recognition feature of a cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) macrocyclic receptor. We implemented a direct sensing strategy by covalently tethering CB[7] with a library of fluorescent reporters. When CB[7] recognizes the chemical and geometrical features of a biomolecule, it brings the tethered fluorophore into the vicinity, concomitantly reporting the nature of its binding microenvironment through a change in their optical signature. The photophysical properties of the fluorophores allow a multitude of probing modes, while their structural features provide additional binding diversity, generating a distinct fluorescence fingerprint from the biomolecule. We first used this strategy to rapidly discriminate a diverse range of protein analytes. The macrocyclic sensor was then applied to probe conformational changes in the protein structure and identify the formation of oligomeric and fibrillar species from misfolded proteins. Notably, the sensor system allowed us to differentiate between different self-assembled forms of the disease-specific amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregates and segregated them from other generic amyloid structures with a 100% identification accuracy. Ultimately, this sensor system predicted clinically relevant changes by fingerprinting serum samples from a cohort of pregnant women.