Thioketal-Based Polymers for Biomedical Applications: Structure Design, Properties, And Perspectives

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulate in pathological conditions like inflammation and tumors.
• Elevated ROS levels can be leveraged as an endogenous trigger for therapeutic interventions.
• Thioketal (TK) moieties provide a stable linkage under normal conditions, cleaving in the presence of ROS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize the design strategies, structure-property relationships, and biomedical applications of TK-based polymers.
• To highlight challenges and propose future perspectives for TK-based polymer translation.
• To explore the potential of TK polymers for ROS-triggered drug delivery and tissue engineering.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of TK-based polymers into various architectures (hydrogels, nanoparticles, fibers, scaffolds).
• Tuning polymer properties by adjusting TK content, hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance, and branching.
• Evaluation of degradation kinetics, mechanical properties, and drug-release profiles.
• Assessment of synergistic ROS-scavenging and stimulus-responsive release in disease models.

Main Results:

• TK-based polymers demonstrate tunable degradation and drug release in response to ROS.
• Diverse material formats (hydrogels, nanoparticles, etc.) exhibit controlled performance.
• Successful application in preclinical models for acute lung injury, wound repair, myocardial infarction, and spinal cord injury.
• Demonstrated synergistic ROS-scavenging and targeted release capabilities.

Conclusions:

• TK-based polymers represent a versatile platform for ROS-responsive biomaterials.
• Further research is needed to address ROS heterogeneity in vivo, byproduct biosafety, and scalable synthesis.
• Significant potential exists for clinical and industrial translation of TK polymers for regenerative medicine and targeted therapies.