Recent Studies on Hydrogels Based on H 2 O 2 -Responsive Moieties: Mechanism, Preparation and Application.

H 2 O 2 is essential for cellular processes and plays a vital role in the regulation of cell signaling pathways, which can be viewed as a warning signal for many kinds of disease including cancer, cardiovascular disease, reproductive abnormalities, diabetes, and renal failure. A H 2 O 2 -responsive hydrogel (H 2 O 2 -Gel) is a promising candidate for biomedical applications because of its good biocompatibility, similarity to soft biological tissues, ease of preparation, and its ability to respond to H 2 O 2 . In this study, the H 2 O 2 -responsive moieties used to fabricate H 2 O 2 -Gels were reviewed, including thioethers, disulfide bonds, selenides, diselenium bonds, diketones, boronic, and others. Next, the preparation method of H 2 O 2 -Gel was divided into two major categories according to their reaction mechanisms: either self-crosslinking or mechanisms entailing the addition of difunctional crosslinkers. Last, the applications of H 2 O 2 -Gels were emphasized, which have been viewed as desirable candidates in the fields of drug delivery, the detection of H 2 O 2 , glucose-responsive systems, ROS scavengers, tissue engineering, and cell-encapsulation.