ABSTRACT

The innate negative charge of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) is in the origin of their bioactivity: it drives their spontaneous complexation with positively charged biomolecules and ions, regulating homeostatic functions by protein stabilization, protection and activation. Copycatting these interactions enables different supramolecular approaches towards the assembly of biofunctional devices. Such approaches allow processing under physiological conditions and thus, they are of unprecedented biocompliance for device build-up compared to conventional methods based on chemical cross-linkers, volatile and organic solvents, and high temperatures. We review different set-ups based on GAG electrostatic complexation and showcase their application towards the development of diverse therapeutic systems. We also discuss challenges associated with GAG complexation into intricate three-dimensional networks holding back the widespread use of these methods. Finally, we anticipate that conscious choice of GAG with distinct polyanionic strength and specific bioactivity will make possible the fabrication of constructs with personalized and customized properties in the nearest future.

摘要

糖胺聚糖 (GAG) 的先天负电荷是其生物活性的起源：它驱动它们与带正电荷的生物分子和离子的自发络合，通过蛋白质稳定、保护和激活来调节稳态功能。模仿这些相互作用可以实现不同的超分子方法来组装生物功能装置。这种方法允许在生理条件下进行处理，因此，与基于化学交联剂、挥发性和有机溶剂以及高温的传统方法相比，它们在设备构建方面具有前所未有的生物顺应性。我们回顾了基于 GAG 静电络合的不同设置，并展示了它们在开发各种治疗系统中的应用。我们还讨论了与 GAG 络合成复杂的三维网络相关的挑战，这些网络阻碍了这些方法的广泛使用。最后，我们预计，有意识地选择具有不同聚阴离子强度和特定生物活性的 GAG 将使在不久的将来制造具有个性化和定制特性的结构成为可能。