Leveraging H2O2 Levels for Biomedical Applications

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-responsive materials have been employed as drug delivery or diagnostic systems to treat or detect diseases with abnormal oxidative stress. A number of H2O2-responsive systems have been developed, and they have achieved great progress in controlled drug delivery for disease treatment. However, pathological sites with elevated H2O2 level, such as cancer and inflammation, have their own characteristics; therefore the material structures and the subsequent formulations should be reasonably designed to acquire maximized therapeutic effects. In this progress report, we overview the development of H2O2-responsive functional groups for constructing H2O2-responsive formulations, as well as the guidance for designing suitable formulations to treat each specific pathological condition. The challenges and perspectives in this field are also discussed.