Current progress in Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)-Responsive materials for biomedical applications.

Abstract

Recently, significant progress has been made in developing “stimuli-sensitive” biomaterials as a new therapeutic approach to interact with dynamic physiological conditions. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production has been implicated in important pathophysiological events, such as atherosclerosis,aging, and cancer. ROS are often overproduced locally in diseased cells and tissues, and they individually and synchronously contribute to many of the abnormalities associated with local pathogenesis. Therefore, the advantages of developing ROS-responsive materials extend beyond site-specific targeting of therapeutic delivery, and potentially include navigating,sensing, and repairing the cellular damages via programmed changes in material properties. Here we review the mechanism and development of biomaterials with ROS-induced solubility switch or degradation, as well as their performance and potential for future biomedical applications.