Responsive behavior of tumor-marker-imprinted hydrogels using macromolecular cross-linkers

Tumor-marker-imprinted hydrogels having lectin and antibody molecules as ligands for a tumor-specific marker glycoprotein were strategically prepared by biomolecular imprinting using minute amounts of low-molecular-weight or high-molecular-weight cross-linkers. The tumor-marker-imprinted hydrogels shrank gradually in response to a target glycoprotein, because their apparent cross-linking density increased owing to simultaneous complex formation of lectin and antibody ligands with a target glycoprotein after their ligands dynamically recognized the glycoprotein. The swelling ratio of the tumor-marker-imprinted hydrogel using high-molecular-weight cross-linker with an optimal chain length decreased more drastically than that using a low-molecular-weight cross-linker, but the hydrogel using the cross-linker with a chain that was too long did not exhibit tumor-marker responsive behavior. This paper focuses on the effect of the molecular weight of cross-linkers on the responsive behavior of tumor-marker-imprinted hydrogels having lectin and antibody molecules as ligands. The cross-linker chain length was an important factor in determining the dynamic glycoprotein recognition and responsive behavior of the biomolecule-imprinted hydrogels.