Supramolecular G-quadruplex hydrogels: Bridging fabrication to biomedical application

G-quadruplex hydrogel is a class of self-assembled supramolecular hydrogel formed by guanine derivatives. As a biomimetic hydrogel, G-quadruplex hydrogels demonstrate wide biomedical applications, such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, and biosensing. The advantages of using G-quadruplex hydrogels include adequate biocompatibility and biodegradability, tunable multifunctionality, and cost-effective and large-scalable fabrication process. In this review, we focus on recent progress in the fabrication and characterization of G-quadruplex hydrogels to help readers understand the principles of G-quadruplex hydrogel formation. Meanwhile, the applications of G-quadruplex hydrogels in the biomedical area are discussed, aiming to pave the way for downward clinical or industry translation. The development of Gquadruplex hydrogel is still in its infancy. We hope this review will boost the development of this area and that more applications of G-quadruplex hydrogel will be developed. (c) 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.