Novel β-cyclodextrin based copolymers: fabrication, characterization and in vitro release behavior

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Cyclodextrin-containing copolymers offer unique properties for drug encapsulation.
• Developing efficient drug delivery systems is crucial for improving therapeutic outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel cyclodextrin-containing copolymer.
• To fabricate and analyze polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) for drug delivery.
• To evaluate the encapsulation and sustained release of curcumin (Cur) from the NPs.

Main Methods:

• Redox radical polymerization for copolymer synthesis.
• Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) for structural analysis.
• Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) for molecular weight determination.
• Solvent evaporation method for NP fabrication.
• Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and laser particle analysis for morphology and size.
• Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) for drug distribution analysis.
• In vitro drug release studies at pH 6.8 and 7.4.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of poly(AAc-co-SA-AC-co-allyl-β-CD) confirmed by FTIR and ¹H NMR.
• Copolymer molecular weight exceeding 60 kDa confirmed by GPC.
• Cargo-free NPs exhibited spherical morphology with a diameter of approximately 40 nm.
• Curcumin was found to be in an amorphous state within the drug-loaded NPs.
• The NPs demonstrated sustained release of curcumin in buffer solutions.

Conclusions:

• The synthesized copolymer and its derived nanoparticles are suitable for drug encapsulation.
• The developed nanoparticles show promise for sustained drug delivery applications.
• The amorphous state of encapsulated curcumin may enhance its bioavailability.