Supramolecular Microspheres Fabricated from Macrocycle‐Incorporated Polymers and Their Biomedical Applications Based on Host‐Guest Recognition
Microspheres have emerged as a pivotal platform for micron-scale drug delivery, yet their utility has been greatly hindered by limitations in biodegradability, drug loading efficiency, and release kinetics, underscoring the urgent need for a next-generation microsphere platform that integrates high performance, scalability, and multifunctionality. Leveraging host-guest recognition, a series of macrocycle-incorporated polymers is synthesized and engineered a new class of supramolecular microspheres, which feature precisely tunable components, including host molecules, guest cargoes, and polymer components, as well as customizable morphologies, while enabling cost-effective, large-scale production. Following systematic validation of the host-guest recognition between β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and lanreotide, we developed supramolecular microspheres (LAN@S-CPMs) that achieve a drug loading capacity and release duration approximately twice that of conventional microspheres, effectively curbing the disease progression of acromegaly. Beyond sustained release, porous supramolecular microspheres (S-P[5]PMs-p) fabricated from the pillar[5]arene (P[5])-incorporated polymer exhibit exceptional efficiency in spermine adsorption, while mineralized supramolecular microspheres (SORA@S-CPMs-p@CaCO<sub>3</sub>) loaded with sorafeinib (SORA) are successfully employed in embolization therapy, achieving more complete vascular occlusion compared to non-mineralized microspheres. The modular design of supramolecular microspheres and facile scalability in production offer a transformative platform to overcome the multifaceted challenges currently faced by microsphere-based delivery systems.
Authors
- Yongcan Li
- Jinqun Gan
- Ruibing Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9489-4241)
- Jiaqi Lei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9801-2258)
- Shaolong Qi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2744-5387)
- Miya Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4261-7657)
- Guocan Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1157-4184)
- Sheng Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7923-478X)
- Wenjie Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7753-695X)
- Xiangyu Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1541-667X)
- Yangfan Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7000-4213)
- Kai Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1779-7661)
- Fangfang Cao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0520-8287)
- Meiqi Cheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-4113-9687)
Institutions
- Tianjin University (CN)
- University of Macau (MO)
- Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University (CN)
- Beihang University (CN)
- Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (CN)
- Tsinghua University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small Methods
- Published
- 2025-09-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202501053
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.60
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- National Key Research and Development Program of China