A Self‐Reporting Mineralized Conductive Hydrogel Sensor with Cancer‐Selective Viscosity, Adhesiveness, and Stretchability

• Published in: Advanced functional materials Vol. 33; no. 16
• Main Authors: Roy, Kaustuv, Lee, Dong‐Hyun, Ryplida, Benny, In, Insik, Bhang, Suk Ho, Park, Sung Young
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.04.2023
• Subjects: Ablation; Adhesive strength; Cancer; Controllability; Glutathione; Hydrogels; Materials science; Mineralization; photothermal therapy; Pore size; pressure sensors; redox‐responsive; self‐reporting hydrogels; Sensors; Stretchability; Tumors; Viscosity; wireless sensors
• ISSN: 1616-301X; 1616-3028
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202212977

A cancer‐selective self‐reporting sensor based on a redox‐responsive mineralized conductive hydrogel (M‐Hydrogel) is proposed with cancer‐specific viscosity, adhesive strength, stretchability, tunable conductivity, and fluorescence. The redox‐triggered release of carbonized polydopamine (cPDA) from the loaded disulfide‐crosslinked polymer dots (PD@cPDA) in the hydrogel matrix modulates the macroporous structure responsible for self‐recognizable cancer sensing and photothermal activity for cancer therapy. The self‐reporting nature of the M‐Hydrogel sensor is highlighted when in vicinity of a high glutathione (GSH) level owing to the controllable pore size and H‐bonding by cPDA, as confirmed by experiments on cancer cells (HeLa, PC3, B16‐F10‐GFP, and SNU‐C2A) and normal cells (CHO‐K1). The lower viscosity during syringe test along with the exceptional adhesiveness and stretchability with various cancer cells, combined with a high wireless pressure‐sensing response absent in normal conditions, confirms the dependence of self‐recognizable behavior on the cancer microenvironment. The M‐Hydrogel demonstrates excellent ex situ sensing with tumor ablation, after implantation in mice xenografted with HeLa cells, with the wireless sensing system, enabling real‐time analysis coupled with the upregulation of pro‐apoptotic markers P53 and BAX in the tumor. Therefore, this self‐reporting sensor may facilitate a strategy for innovative and convenient cancer diagnostics. A self‐reporting mineralized hydrogel sensor demonstrating cancer detection via cancer‐selective injectability, viscosity change, adhesiveness, and stretchability, is developed in conjunction with a wireless conductive response. In vivo, the sensor displays good therapeutic performance with tumor ablation via selective photothermal heat generation, which in combination with the ex situ wireless sensing system allows real‐time analysis resulting in accurate diagnosis of cancer.