Zhang Meng, Strandman Satu, Waldron Karen C, Zhu X X
Département de Chimie, Université de Montréal, C. P. 6128, Succ. Centre-ville, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada.
J Mater Chem B. 2016 Dec 21;4(47):7506-7520. doi: 10.1039/c6tb02270g. Epub 2016 Oct 27.
Hydrogelation of small molecules in aqueous solutions results from a balance between solubilization and precipitation (or crystallization). The hydrophobic moieties of amphiphiles tend to aggregate and the hydrophilic units may stabilize the aggregates in aqueous solutions. Morphologies vary according to the chemical structure of the amphiphiles. The formation of nanofibers or worm-like micelles is a prerequisite for hydrogels. Molecular hydrogels often show better degradability and functional diversity than polymeric hydrogels and may be useful in biomedical applications. Bile acids have attracted increasing attention for designing various biomaterials, including molecular hydrogels. They are naturally occurring amphiphilic compounds that exist in our body and help with the dissolution and digestion of fat by the formation of micelles. This review highlights the recent progress in the field of molecular hydrogelators based on bile acids, including bile salts, anionic, cationic and neutral bile acid derivatives, two-component hydrogelation systems, and polymeric supramolecular hydrogels, along with their potential applications.
小分子在水溶液中的水凝胶化是由溶解和沉淀（或结晶）之间的平衡导致的。两亲分子的疏水部分倾向于聚集，而亲水单元可在水溶液中稳定聚集体。形态根据两亲分子的化学结构而变化。纳米纤维或蠕虫状胶束的形成是水凝胶的先决条件。分子水凝胶通常比聚合物水凝胶表现出更好的可降解性和功能多样性，并且可能在生物医学应用中有用。胆汁酸在设计包括分子水凝胶在内的各种生物材料方面越来越受到关注。它们是天然存在的两亲化合物，存在于我们体内，并通过形成胶束帮助脂肪的溶解和消化。本综述重点介绍了基于胆汁酸的分子水凝胶剂领域的最新进展，包括胆盐、阴离子、阳离子和中性胆汁酸衍生物、双组分水凝胶化系统和聚合物超分子水凝胶，以及它们的潜在应用。
