Redox-active host-guest supramolecular assemblies of peptides and proteins at surfaces

The cell machinery is very complex, precisely regulated by cues in space and time. Fine tuning bioactive cues on surfaces has shown to be a crucial design criterion for cell interactions with materials. Stimuli-responsive surfaces of biomaterials and devices open up new opportunities to steer cellular fate and study cellular mechanisms. Supramolecular host-guest interactions are in itself dynamic in nature due to the noncovalent nature of the interactions between molecules, and in addition they allow for the incorporation of guests, controlled using external stimuli. This tunable reversibility makes them highly attractive for the exploration of cell-interactive surfaces for biological applications. In this feature article strategies to anchor bio- and redox-active peptides and proteins employing supramolecular host-guest chemistry are presented and discussed in the context of these surfaces interacting with cells.