Vesicle formation from hexasubstituted cyclophosphazenic derivatives

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Cyclophosphazene derivatives are versatile building blocks for supramolecular structures.
• Niosomes are non-ionic surfactant-based vesicles with potential in drug delivery.
• Controlling vesicle aggregation is crucial for their application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel cyclophosphazene derivatives.
• To investigate the niosome-forming ability of these compounds.
• To evaluate methods for preventing vesicle aggregation and assess encapsulation efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of three hexakis[alkyloxy(ethoxy)]cyclophosphazene derivatives.
• Niosome formation studies in the presence of cholesterol.
• Aggregation prevention using dicetylphosphate.
• Encapsulation studies with carboxyfluorescein (hydrophile) and diphenylhexatriene (lipophile) in sonicated and unsonicated niosomes.

Main Results:

• All synthesized cyclophosphazene derivatives formed vesicles with cholesterol.
• Significant vesicle aggregation was observed without additives.
• Dicetylphosphate effectively prevented aggregation.
• Both sonicated and unsonicated niosomes demonstrated the capacity to encapsulate hydrophilic and lipophilic molecules.

Conclusions:

• Novel cyclophosphazene derivatives can self-assemble into niosomes.
• Dicetylphosphate is an effective agent to stabilize these niosomes against aggregation.
• The resulting niosomes show potential for encapsulating diverse molecules, paving the way for advanced drug delivery systems.