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Published on: February 8, 2017
A modular approach towards drug delivery vehicles using oxanorbornane-based non-ionic amphiphiles
D Sirisha Janni1, U Chandrasekhar Reddy, Soumya Saroj
1Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, 600 036, India. mkm@iitm.ac.in.
Novel supramolecular aggregates formed from non-ionic amphiphiles with amino acid spacers effectively encapsulate drugs like ibuprofen. These self-assembled systems demonstrate controlled drug release, showing potential for therapeutic applications.
Area of Science:
- Supramolecular Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Non-ionic amphiphiles self-assemble into various supramolecular structures.
- Amino acid units can be incorporated to modify amphiphile properties.
- Hydroxylated oxanorbornane head-groups offer unique characteristics for self-assembly.
Purpose of the Study:
- To control the self-assembly of non-ionic amphiphiles using amino acid spacers.
- To evaluate the drug encapsulation and release capabilities of the formed supramolecular aggregates.
- To investigate the influence of cholesterol on drug-loading efficiency.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of non-ionic amphiphiles with amino acid spacers and a hydroxylated oxanorbornane head-group.
- Characterization of supramolecular aggregates using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Cryo-Transmission Electron Microscopy (Cryo-TEM), and Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD).
- Evaluation of drug (ibuprofen) encapsulation efficiency and in vitro drug release profiles.
Main Results:
- Spherical supramolecular aggregates were successfully formed.
- Amino acid spacers directed self-assembly and aided in drug entrapment.
- Cholesterol inclusion enhanced drug-loading, with phenylalanine-containing formulation (NC1c) achieving 66% encapsulation efficiency.
- Controlled drug release observed, with 45% ibuprofen release in 24 hours for NC1c.
Conclusions:
- Non-ionic amphiphiles with amino acid spacers and hydroxylated oxanorbornane head-groups form effective supramolecular drug delivery systems.
- The amino acid unit plays a dual role in directing assembly and enhancing drug entrapment.
- These self-assembled aggregates offer promising characteristics for controlled therapeutic agent delivery.
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