Nanocompartment-confined polymerization in living systems

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• In vivo polymerization is key for regulating cell functions but faces challenges like high monomer needs, biological interference, and external stimulation requirements.
• These limitations restrict the broader application of polymerization strategies in biological systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a nanocompartment-confined strategy for efficient and versatile in vivo polymerization.
• To overcome limitations of conventional polymerization methods in living systems.

Main Methods:

• A nanocompartment strategy was employed to create a confined environment for monomer enrichment and isolation.
• Exogenous photopolymerization and endogenous hydrogen peroxide-responsive polymerization were investigated within the nanocompartments.

Main Results:

• The confined environment significantly increased polymerization efficiency, with a 2.7-fold rate increase for photopolymerization of sodium 4-styrenesulfonate.
• p‑aminodiphenylamine hydrochloride polymerization showed a 6.4-fold higher reaction rate and enabled photoacoustic imaging-guided photothermal immunotherapy.
• The strategy proved effective for broad-spectrum polymerizations in living systems.

Conclusions:

• The nanocompartment-confined strategy offers a universal platform for in vivo polymer synthesis with diverse structures and functions.
• This approach overcomes conventional polymerization limitations, paving the way for advanced biological applications.