Mono-allyloxylated Cucurbit[7]uril Acts as an Unconventional Amphiphile To Form Light-Responsive Vesicles
Kyeng Min Park1,2, Kangkyun Baek1, Young Ho Ko1
1Center for Self-assembly and Complexity (CSC), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Pohang, 37363, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Serendipitously, mono-allyloxylated cucurbit[7]uril (AO1 CB[7]) was discovered to act as an unconventional amphiphile which self-assembles into light-responsive vesicles (AO1 CB[7]VC) in water. Although the mono-allyloxy group, directly tethered on the periphery of CB[7], is much shorter (C4) than the hydrophobic tails of conventional amphiphiles, it played an important role in vesicle formation. Light-activated transformation of the allyloxy group by conjugation with glutathione was exploited as a remote tool to disrupt the vesicle. The vesicle showed on-demand release of cargo upon irradiation by a laser, after they were internalized into cancer cells. This result demonstrated the potential of AO1 CB[7]VC as a new type of light-responsive intracellular delivery vehicle for the release of therapeutic cargo, within cells, on demand.
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