Enzymatic hydrolysis-induced degradation of a lactose-coupled supramolecular hydrogelElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental details and Fig. S1-S5. See DOI: 10.1039/c8cc04727h

Amphiphilic urea 1 with a hydrophilic lactose group was prepared as a low-molecular-weight hydrogelator, which formed a transparent supramolecular hydrogel. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the lactose moiety using β-galactosidase allowed a gel-to-sol phase transition of the supramolecular hydrogel. A β-galactosidase inhibitor enables us to control the time course of this phase transition. A lactose-coupled amphiphilic urea self-assembled to form a supramolecular hydrogel, which is responsive to enzymatic hydrolysis.