Stimuli-responsive and self-healing supramolecular Zn(II)-guanosine metal-organic gel for Schottky barrier diode application

Spontaneous formation of a supramolecular metal-organic hydrogel using unsubstituted guanosine as a ligand and Zn2+ ions is reported. Guanosine, in the presence of NaOH, self-assembled into a stable G-quadruplex structure, which underwent crosslinking through Zn2+ ions to afford a stable hydrogel. The gel has been characterized using several spectroscopic as well as microscopic studies. The hydrogel demonstrated excellent stimuli responsiveness towards various chemicals and pH. Furthermore, the gel exhibited intrinsic thixotropic behavior and showed self-healing and injectable properties. The optical properties of the Zn-guanosine metallo-hydrogel suggested a semiconducting nature of the gel, which has been exploited for fabricating a thin film device based on a Schottky diode interface between metal and a semiconductor. The fabricated device shows excellent charge transport characteristics and linear rectifying behavior. The findings are likely to pave the way for newer research in the area of soft electronic devices fabricated using materials synthesized by employing simple biomolecules.

Hydrogen-Bonding Interactions from Nucleobase-Decorated Supramolecular Polymer: Synthesis, Self-Assembly and Biomedical Applications

The fabrication of supramolecular materials for biomedical applications such as drug delivery, bioimaging, wound-dressing, adhesion materials, photodynamic/photothermal therapy, infection control (as antibacterial), etc. has grown tremendously, due to their unique properties, especially the formation of hydrogen bonding. Nevertheless, void space in the integration process, lack of feasibility in the construction of supramolecular materials of natural origin in living biological systems, potential toxicity, the need for complex synthesis protocols, and costly production process limits the actual application of nanomaterials for advanced biomedical applications. On the other hand, hydrogen bonding from nucleobases is one of the strategies that shed light on the blurred deployment of nanomaterials in medical applications, given the increasing reports of supramolecular polymers that promote advanced technologies. Herein, we review the extensive body of literature about supramolecular functional biomaterials based on nucleobase hydrogen bonding pertinent to different biomedical applications. It focuses on the fundamental understanding about the synthesis, nucleobase-decorated supramolecular architecture, and novel properties with special emphasis on the recent developments in the assembly of nanostructures via hydrogen-bonding interactions of nucleobase. Moreover, the challenges, plausible solutions, and prospects of the so-called hydrogen bonding interaction from nucleobase for the fabrication of functional biomaterials are outlined.

Cobalt-Adenosine Monophosphate Supramolecular Hydrogel with pH-Responsive Multi-Nanozymatic Activity

Self-assembled metal-ion cross-linked multifunctional hydrogels are gaining a lot of attention in the fields of biomedical and biocatalysis. Herein, we report a heat-triggered metallogel that was spontaneously formed by the self-assembly of adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) and cobalt chloride, accompanied by a color transition depicting an octahedral to tetrahedral transition at high temperature. The hydrogel shows excellent stability in a wide pH window from 1 to 12. The metallogel is being exploited as a multienzyme mimic, exhibiting pH-responsive catalase and peroxidase activity. Whereas catalase mimicking activity was demonstrated by the hydrogel under neutral and basic conditions, it shows peroxidase mimicking activity in an acidic medium. The multifunctionality of the synthesized metallogel was further demonstrated by phenoxazinone synthase-like activities. Owing to its catalase-mimicking activity, the metallogel could effectively reduce the oxidative stress produced in cells due to excess hydrogen peroxide by degrading H2O2 to O2 and H2O under physiological conditions. The biocompatible metallogel could prevent cell apoptosis by scavenging reactive oxygen species. A green and simple synthetic strategy utilizing commonly available biomolecules makes this metallogel highly attractive for catalytic and biomedical applications.

Nucleoside-Based Supramolecular Hydrogels: From Synthesis and Structural Properties to Biomedical and Tissue Engineering Applications

Supramolecular hydrogels are of great interest in tissue scaffolding, diagnostics, and drug delivery due to their biocompatibility and stimuli-responsive properties. In particular, nucleosides are promising candidates as building blocks due to their manifold noncovalent interactions and ease of chemical modification. Significant progress in the field has been made over recent years to allow the use of nucleoside-based supramolecular hydrogels in the biomedical field, namely drug delivery and 3D bioprinting. For example, their long-term stability, printability, functionality, and bioactivity have been greatly improved by employing more than one gelator, incorporating different cations, including silver for antibacterial activity, or using additives such as boric acid or even biomolecules. This now permits their use as bioinks for 3D printing to produce cell-laden scaffolds with specified geometries and pore sizes as well as a homogeneous distribution of living cells and bioactive molecules. We have summarized the latest advances in nucleoside-based supramolecular hydrogels. Additionally, we discuss their synthesis, structural properties, and potential applications in tissue engineering and provide an outlook and future perspective on ongoing developments in the field.

Advances and Novel Perspectives on Colloids, Hydrogels, and Aerogels Based on Coordination Bonds with Biological Interest Ligands

This perspective article shows new advances in the synthesis of colloids, gels, and aerogels generated by combining metal ions and ligands of biological interest, such as nucleobases, nucleotides, peptides, or amino acids, among other derivatives. The characteristic dynamism of coordination bonds between metal center and biocompatible-type ligands, together with molecular recognition capability of these ligands, are crucial to form colloids and gels. These supramolecular structures are generated by forming weak van der Waals bonds such as hydrogen bonds or π–π stacking between the aromatic rings. Most gels are made up of nano-sized fibrillar networks, although their morphologies can be tuned depending on the synthetic conditions. These new materials respond to different stimuli such as pH, stirring, pressure, temperature, the presence of solvents, among others. For these reasons, they can trap and release molecules or metal ions in a controlled way allowing their application in drug delivery as antimicrobial and self-healable materials or sensors. In addition, the correct selection of the metal ion enables to build catalytic or luminescent metal–organic gels. Even recently, the use of these colloids as 3D-dimensional printable inks has been published. The elimination of the solvent trapped in the gels allows the transformation of these into metal–organic aerogels (MOAs) and metal–organic xerogels (MOXs), increasing the number of possible applications by generating new porous materials and composites useful in adsorption, conversion, and energy storage. The examples shown in this work allow us to visualize the current interest in this new type of material and their perspectives in the short-medium term. Furthermore, these investigations show that there is still a lot of work to be done, opening the door to new and interesting applications.

Ultrafast excited state dynamics of silver ion-mediated cytosine-cytosine base pairs in metallo-DNA

To better understand the nexus between structure and photophysics in metallo-DNA assemblies, the parallel-stranded duplex formed by the all-cytosine oligonucleotide, dC₂₀, and silver nitrate was studied by circular dichroism (CD), femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, and time-dependent-density functional theory calculations. Silver(I) ions mediate Cytosine-Cytosine (CC) base pairs by coordinating to the N3 atoms of two cytosines. Although these silver(I) mediated CC base pairs resemble the proton-mediated CC base pairs found in i-motif DNA at first glance, a comparison of experimental and calculated CD spectra reveals that silver ion-mediated i-motif structures do not form. Instead, the parallel-stranded duplex formed between dC₂₀ and silver ions is proposed to contain consecutive silver-mediated base pairs with high propeller twist-like ones seen in a recent crystal structure of an emissive, DNA-templated silver cluster. Femtosecond transient absorption measurements with broadband probing from the near UV to the near IR reveal an unusually long-lived (>10 ns) excited state in the dC₂₀ silver ion complex that is not seen in dC₂₀ in single-stranded or i-motif forms. This state is also absent in a concentrated solution of cytosine-silver ion complexes that are thought to assemble into planar ribbons or sheets that lack stacked silver(I) mediated CC base pairs. The large propeller twist angle present in metal-mediated base pairs may promote the formation of long-lived charged separated or triplet states in this metallo-DNA.

A bioinspired metal-organic approach to cross-linked functional 3D nanofibrous hydro- and aero-gels with effective mixture separation of nucleobases by molecular recognition

The direct reaction between Cu(CH3COO)2 and uracil-1-acetic acid in water gives rise to the formation of a hydrogel consisting of entangled nanometric ribbons of a crystalline antiferromagnetic 1D Cu(ii) coordination polymer (CP) decorated with biocompatible uracil nucleobases. This hydrogel is the precursor for the preparation of a meso/macroporous ultralight aerogel that shows a remarkable Young's modulus. As a proof-of-concept of the molecular recognition capability of the terminal uracil moieties anchored at Cu(ii) CP chains, this material has been tested as the selective stationary phase for the separation of nucleobase derivatives in HPLC columns.

Bioinspired pyrimidine-containing cationic polymers as effective nanocarriers for DNA and protein delivery

Cationic polymers have shown great potential in the delivery of nucleic acids and proteins. In this study, a series of pyrimidine-based cationic polymers were synthesized via the Michael addition reaction from pyrimidine-based linkages and low molecular weight polyethyleneimine (PEI). The structure-activity relationship (SAR) of these materials in DNA and protein delivery was investigated. These materials could condense both DNA and protein into nanoparticles with proper sizes and zeta-potentials. In vitro experiments indicated that such polymers were efficient in transporting DNA and proteins into cells. Furthermore, the bioactivity of the genes and proteins encapsulated in these polymers were maintained during the delivery processes. Among the polymers, U-PEI600 synthesized from a uracil-containing linker and PEI 600 Da mediated comparable gene expression to PEI 25 kDa. Moreover, the activities of β-galactosidase delivered by U-PEI600 were well maintained after entering the cells. Evaluation using an immune response assay showed that the U-PEI600/OVA polyplex could stimulate greater production of immune factors with low cytotoxicity. Our study provides a strategy for the construction of cationic polymeric gene and cytosolic protein vectors with high efficiency and low toxicity.

In-situ generation of nanozymes by natural nucleotides: a biocatalytic label for quantitative determination of hydrogen peroxide and glucose

Four natural nucleotides including 5'-cytidine monophosphate (CMP), 5'-thymidine monophosphate (TMP), guanosine monophosphate (GMP) and 5'-adenosine monophosphate (AMP) were employed to modulate the coordination environment and the valence state of PtCl₄^2-. This is the first report that natural nucleotides have the ability to produce highly active Pt nanoclusters. The latter are shown to act as peroxidase mimetics. Both the size distribution and the charge state of Pt-nucleotide nanozymes vary with the chemical structures of nucleotides, thereby contributing to distinct enzyme-like activities. By adopting Pt-CMP as a signal amplifier, a photometric assay was well-established for quantitative determination of glucose. The assay is based on the oxidation of glucose by glucose oxidase. The oxidation product (H₂O₂) is detected at 652 nm via the Pt-CMP-catalyzed oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine with H₂O₂. Response is linear in the 5 to 100 μM glucose concentration range, and the limit of detection is 0.12 μM (at S/N= 3). The method excels by a low signal background, high sensitivity, and low consumption of energy and materials. Graphical abstract Peroxidase mimicking Pt nanoclusters were synthesized by employing natural nucleotides as both the reducing agent and the stabilization template.

Structural evolution of Ag/BN hybrids via a polyol-assisted fabrication process and their catalytic activity in CO oxidation

Enhanced catalytic activity of Ag/BN nanohybrids is ascribed to the formation of a thin intermediate Ag–O–B layer.

Cd(ii)-nucleobase supramolecular metallo-hydrogels for in situ growth of color tunable CdS quantum dots

The integration of nanoscale materials into unconventional environments such as gels is a magnificent strategy towards development of engineered hybrid functional systems. Herein, the in situ formation of CdS quantum dots integrated into a metallogel formed through the coordination of Cd2+ with two pyrimidine nucleobases is reported. Thymine and uracil formed spontaneous hydrogels with nanofibrous morphology through coordinative interaction with Cd2+ ions at alkaline pH. Introduction of Na2S resulted in generation of CdS quantum dots within the hydrogels with tunable emission properties from blue to white to yellow. The quenching of emission of white light system was exploited for the sensing of Fe3+ and Cu2+ ions. Such a color tunable quantum dot incorporated metallogel system will find applications in energy harvesting and sensing.

Zn(ii)–nucleobase metal–organic nanofibers and nanoflowers: synthesis and photocatalytic application

The interaction of Zn²⁺ ions with pure nucleobases guanine and cytosine under alkaline conditions leads to the formation of nanoscale metal–organic nanofibers and nanoflowers with excellent photocatalytic activity for the degradation of organic pollutant dyes.

Chirality control of multi-stimuli responsive and self-healing supramolecular metallo-hydrogels

The spontaneous formation of supramolecular metallo-hydrogels showing multi stimuli-responsiveness and intrinsic self-healing properties upon the interaction of chiral-histidine with Zn²⁺ ions.

Nucleobases, nucleosides, and nucleotides: versatile biomolecules for generating functional nanomaterials

The incorporation of biomolecules into nanomaterials generates functional nanosystems with novel and advanced properties, presenting great potential for applications in various fields. Nucleobases, nucleosides and nucleotides, as building blocks of nucleic acids and biological coenzymes, constitute necessary components of the foundation of life. In recent years, as versatile biomolecules for the construction or regulation of functional nanomaterials, they have stimulated interest in researchers, due to their unique properties such as structural diversity, multiplex binding sites, self-assembly ability, stability, biocompatibility, and chirality. In this review, strategies for the synthesis of nanomaterials and the regulation of their morphologies and functions using nucleobases, nucleosides, and nucleotides as building blocks, templates or modulators are summarized alongside selected applications. The diverse applications range from sensing, bioimaging, and drug delivery to mimicking light-harvesting antenna, the construction of logic gates, and beyond. Furthermore, some perspectives and challenges in this emerging field are proposed. This review is directed toward the broader scientific community interested in biomolecule-based functional nanomaterials.

Direct Formation of Sub-Micron and Nanoparticles of a Bioinspired Coordination Polymer Based on Copper with Adenine

We report on the use of different reaction conditions, e.g., temperature, time, and/or concentration of reactants, to gain control over the particle formation of a bioinspired coordination polymer based on copper(II) and adenine, allowing homogeneous particle production from micro- to submicro-, and up to nano-size. Additionally, studies on this reaction carried out in the presence of different surfactants gives rise to the control of the particle size due to the modulation of the electrostatic interactions. Stability of the water suspensions obtained within the time and pH has been evaluated. We have also studied that there is no significant effect of the size reduction in the magnetic properties of the Cu(II)-adenine coordination polymer.

Ammonia-modulated reversible gel–solution phase transition and fluorescence switch for a salicylhydrazide-based metal–organic gel

A fluorescence metal–organic gel was studied with its reversible gel–solution phase transition and fluorescence switch by the modulation of ammonia.