Leveraging H₂ O₂ Levels for Biomedical Applications

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂ O₂ )-responsive materials have been employed as drug delivery or diagnostic systems to treat or detect diseases with abnormal oxidative stress. A number of H₂ O₂ -responsive systems have been developed, and they have achieved great progress in controlled drug delivery for disease treatment. However, pathological sites with elevated H₂ O₂ level, such as cancer and inflammation, have their own characteristics; therefore the material structures and the subsequent formulations should be reasonably designed to acquire maximized therapeutic effects. In this progress report, we overview the development of H₂ O₂ -responsive functional groups for constructing H₂ O₂ -responsive formulations, as well as the guidance for designing suitable formulations to treat each specific pathological condition. The challenges and perspectives in this field are also discussed.