Biocompatible pillararene-assembly-based carriers for dual bioimaging.

Area of Science:

• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Pillararene-based supramolecular assemblies offer potential for biomedical applications.
• Developing biocompatible carriers for simultaneous delivery of multiple imaging agents is crucial.
• Understanding the influence of amphiphilicity on assembly behavior and cargo delivery is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel amphiphilic pillararene derivatives.
• To evaluate the efficacy of pillararene-based assemblies in delivering dyes with varying solubilities for dual bioimaging.
• To explore the potential of these assemblies for co-delivering imaging agents and an anticancer drug.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of tadpole-like and bola amphiphilic pillararenes.
• Formation of supramolecular self-assemblies.
• Cellular uptake studies with rhodamine B and fluorescein isothiocyanate.
• Complexation with viologen guest for enhanced assembly stability.
• Drug delivery studies using doxorubicin.

Main Results:

• Amphiphilic pillararenes formed homogeneous supramolecular assemblies with improved biocompatibility.
• Assemblies demonstrated differential dye delivery based on dye solubility, with tadpole-like structures excelling for hydrophobic dyes.
• Complexation with viologen enhanced assembly performance for mixed dye delivery.
• Successful delivery of doxorubicin to cells was achieved.

Conclusions:

• Pillararene-based assemblies are versatile and biocompatible carriers for dual bioimaging.
• The design of amphiphilic pillararenes can be tuned for specific cargo delivery.
• These findings support the development of pillararene assemblies for theranostics and combined cancer therapy.