Figure 2: Molecular transformation during the enzymatic hydrogelation process.
From: Imaging enzyme-triggered self-assembly of small molecules inside live cells
(a) The synthesis route of the precursor 2 and the generation of the fluorescent hydrogelator 3 via an enzyme-catalysed dephosphorylation. (i) Na2CO3, methanol, water, 50 °C, 2 h; (ii) ALP. (b,c) The dephosphorylation and hydrogelation process of the solution of 2 (pH 7.4, 0.6 wt%, 5.92 mM) after being mixed with ALP (20 U ml−1): (b) 31P NMR to show enzymatic dephosphorylation (that is, decrease of the phosphorous ester peak and increase of phosphate peak) and (c) rheometry to show the progress of the hydrogelation of 3 that is converted from 2 (that is, at the gel state, storage modulus (G′) dominates loss modulus (G′′)).
