Supramolecular hydrogelation with bile acid derivatives: structures, properties and applications

Area of Science:

• Supramolecular chemistry
• Materials science
• Biomaterials engineering

Background:

• Hydrogelation involves balancing amphiphile solubilization and precipitation in aqueous solutions.
• Amphiphile aggregation, stabilized by hydrophilic units, leads to structures like nanofibers or worm-like micelles, essential for hydrogel formation.
• Molecular hydrogels offer advantages in degradability and functional diversity over polymeric hydrogels, making them promising for biomedical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in molecular hydrogelators derived from bile acids.
• To explore various bile acid derivatives and supramolecular systems for hydrogel design.
• To highlight potential biomedical applications of these bile acid-based hydrogels.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature on bile acid-based molecular hydrogelators.
• Categorization of hydrogelators based on chemical structure: bile salts, anionic, cationic, and neutral derivatives.
• Discussion of two-component hydrogelation systems and polymeric supramolecular hydrogels.

Main Results:

• Bile acids, naturally occurring amphiphiles, are effective building blocks for molecular hydrogels.
• Diverse bile acid derivatives and supramolecular assemblies can form hydrogels with tunable properties.
• These hydrogels exhibit potential in various biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility and functional diversity.

Conclusions:

• Bile acid-derived molecular hydrogels represent a significant area of research in biomaterials.
• The amphiphilic nature and biological origin of bile acids facilitate the design of advanced hydrogel systems.
• Further exploration of these hydrogels promises innovative solutions for biomedical challenges.