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Updated: Nov 2, 2025
An Injectable and Drug-loaded Supramolecular Hydrogel for Local Catheter Injection into the Pig Heart
Published on: June 7, 2015
Cucurbit[8]uril-based supramolecular hydrogels for biomedical applications
Zeyu Wang1, Mingju Shui1, Ian W Wyman2
1State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau Macau 999078 China qwzhang@um.edu.mo rwang@um.edu.mo.
Abstract:
As a member of the cucurbit[n]uril family (where n denotes the number of glycoluril units), cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) possesses a large cavity volume and is able to accommodate two guests simultaneously. Therefore, CB[8] has been adapted as a dynamic noncovalent crosslinker to form various supramolecular hydrogels. These CB[8]-based hydrogels have been investigated for various biomedical applications due to their good biocompatibility and dynamic properties afforded by host-guest interactions. In this review, we summarize the hydrogels that have been dynamically fabricated via supramolecular crosslinking of polymers by CB[8] reported during the past decade, and discuss their design principles, innovative applications in biomedical science and their future prospects.
