Synthetic Strategies of Guanine Derivatives for Self-Assembly in Supramolecular Chemistry

Guanine analogs are powerful molecular platforms for building functional supramolecular assemblies. Their broad utility stems from an exceptional ability to adopt diverse topologies, self-assembling into discrete G₄-quartet, G-quadruplexes, and extended ribbon-like structures. This structural flexibility underlies their wide range of functional applications. Significant research has focused on chemically modifying guanine derivatives to improve their performance in both aqueous and organic environments, and to make them responsive to external factors such as ionic strength, pH, light, and temperature. These modifications allow the inherent chemical information of guanine to be translated into programmable, higher-order supramolecular systems. Recent progress has led to exciting advances across fields including supramolecular chemistry and chemical biology. In this review, we highlight these developments and discuss how synthetic modifications and interdisciplinary strategies continue to expand the structural and functional diversity of guanine-based systems.