Hydrophobicity in Guiding Biological Interactions and Related Applications

Hydrophobicity is a universal phenomenon in nature with profound effects on the structure and function of biological macromolecules, which holds great promise for biomedical applications. Therefore, this paper reviews recent research advances in hydrophobicity in guiding biological interactions and their applications, pointing out that the folding and aggregation of biomolecules, such as proteins and lipids, in water is greatly influenced by hydrophobicity, and that the repulsive force of hydrophobic groups leads to the formation of stable spatial structures of biomolecules, maintaining their biological activity. Furthermore, modulation of hydrophobicity has been widely used to enhance the ability of the materials to disrupt cell membranes, and to improve antimicrobial properties while taking biocompatibility into account. The optimization of the hydrophobic group structure has led to significant advances in the development of antimicrobial polymers for medical implant applications. These advances have been achieved through the implementation of efficient and safe material design strategies. In addition, the equilibrium between hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity is critical in gene delivery. A moderate augmentation of hydrophobicity can help improve delivery efficiency and cellular uptake. It has been shown that adjusting the hydrophobicity of the nanoparticle surface can significantly influence the activity of immune cells, thus providing a new pathway for immune modulation. As such, the paper also investigates the potential applications of hydrophobicity in biomaterials design and proposes future directions, which includes standardized analytical approaches, and multidimensional experimental design. These approaches are intended to facilitate the advancement and utilization of functional materials based on hydrophobicity in biomedical fields.