Ternary complex formation in aqueous solution between a beta-cyclodextrin polymer, a cationic surfactant and DNA
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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Synthetic Condensates and Cell-Like Architectures from Amphiphilic DNA Nanostructures
Published on: May 31, 2024
Céline Galant1, Catherine Amiel, Loïc Auvray
1Laboratoire de Recherche sur les Polymères (LRP), CNRS UMR 7581, 2-8 rue Henri Dunant, 94 320 Thiais, France.
Abstract:
Polyelectrolyte complexes have been elaborated by mixing in water neutral poly(beta-CD), a cationic surfactant (DTAC) and herring sperm DNA fragments. The driving forces for the poly(beta-CD)/DTAC/DNA association in aqueous solution are, on the one hand, reversible inclusion interactions between the CD cavities of poly(beta-CD) and the alkyl group of DTAC, leading to the formation of a polycation and, on the other hand, electrostatic interactions between the opposite charges of the cationic surfactant and anionic DNA. Viscometry and SANS have been used to prove the occurrence of such ternary complexes in dilute aqueous solutions.
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