Therapeutic delivery with V-amylose

The helical structure of V-amylose offering a superior encapsulation affinity compared with the other polysaccharides, especially toward the amphiphilic or hydrophobic molecules; in addition to providing a higher resistance toward enzymatic hydrolysis support its applications as a potential drug delivery vehicle. Mainly, the glycosidic linkages and -CH₂ - groups forming the hydrophobic cavity of V-amylose helix, and the glycosyl hydroxyl groups constituting its hydrophilic periphery promote the loading of a diverse range of molecules via van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonding interactions. These properties enable a high-loading efficiency, targeted delivery, and controlled release of the cargo drug molecules by V-amylose. Besides, V-amylose presents characteristics of an ideal drug delivery system, such as biocompatibility, physiological benevolence, nonimmunogenicity, and biodegradability. The V-amylose polysaccharide chains fold into left-handed single helix comprising of six glucose units in each turn having a pitch height of 7.91-8.17 Å. These structural features of V-amylose differentiate it from the parent amylose polysaccharide and enable the accommodation and nanoencapsulation of a wide range of therapeutics in the former. The tightly packed helical structure of V-amylose provides extraordinary resistance toward digestion by amylase compared with the linear polysaccharides, which supports the application of V-amylose as controlled drug release systems. The activity of the amylase enzyme produced by salivary glands, pancreas, gastrointestinal tract, and gut microbiota on amylose-based drug delivery vehicles promote enzyme-sensitive controlled oral and colon-specific release of the encapsulated drug. The single helical V-amylose with hydrophobic core and hydrophilic periphery forms inclusion complexes that improve the absorption and permeation of drugs having a high clogP index. The present commentary highlights the distinguished features of V-amylose as an imminent drug delivery system.