title: Responsive DNA-based hydrogels and their applications.
abstract: The term hydrogel describes a type of soft and wet material formed by cross-linked hydrophilic polymers. The distinct feature of hydrogels is their ability to absorb a large amount of water and swell. The properties of a hydrogel are usually determined by the chemical properties of their constituent polymer(s). However, a group of hydrogels, called "smart hydrogels," changes properties in response to environmental changes or external stimuli. Recently, DNA or DNA-inspired responsive hydrogels have attracted considerable attention in construction of smart hydrogels because of the intrinsic advantages of DNA. As a biological polymer, DNA is hydrophilic, biocompatible, and highly programmable by Watson-Crick base pairing. DNA can form a hydrogel by itself under certain conditions, and it can also be incorporated into synthetic polymers to form DNA-hybrid hydrogels. Functional DNAs, such as aptamers and DNAzymes, provide additional molecular recognition capabilities and versatility. In this Review, DNA-based hydrogels are discussed in terms of their stimulus response, as well as their applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, Shands Cancer Center, Center for Research at Bio/Nano Interface, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-7200, USA.
authors.forename: Xiangling
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Cuichen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Cuisong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Guizhi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Zhuo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Weihong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D021881:DNA, Catalytic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D021881:DNA, Catalytic; D004337:Drug Carriers; D020100:Hydrogels; D004247:DNA
keywords: DNA; biological applications of polymers; hydrogels; responsive