Responsive behavior of tumor‐marker‐imprinted hydrogels using macromolecular cross‐linkers

Tumor‐marker‐imprinted hydrogels having lectin and antibody molecules as ligands for a tumor‐specific marker glycoprotein were strategically prepared by biomolecular imprinting using minute amounts of low‐molecular‐weight or high‐molecular‐weight cross‐linkers. The tumor‐marker‐imprinted hydrogels shrank gradually in response to a target glycoprotein, because their apparent cross‐linking density increased owing to simultaneous complex formation of lectin and antibody ligands with a target glycoprotein after their ligands dynamically recognized the glycoprotein. The swelling ratio of the tumor‐marker‐imprinted hydrogel using high‐molecular‐weight cross‐linker with an optimal chain length decreased more drastically than that using a low‐molecular‐weight cross‐linker, but the hydrogel using the cross‐linker with a chain that was too long did not exhibit tumor‐marker responsive behavior. This paper focuses on the effect of the molecular weight of cross‐linkers on the responsive behavior of tumor‐marker‐imprinted hydrogels having lectin and antibody molecules as ligands. The cross‐linker chain length was an important factor in determining the dynamic glycoprotein recognition and responsive behavior of the biomolecule‐imprinted hydrogels. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.