Tailoring liquid crystals as vehicles for encapsulation and enzyme-triggered release

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Amphiphilic nanoscale assemblies are crucial for pharmaceutical drug nanocarriers.
• Liquid crystal (LC) aqueous interfaces guide amphiphile self-assembly, enabling diverse applications like sensing and biomimicry.
• LC interfaces offer potential for controlled drug encapsulation and release.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and investigate enzyme-responsive LC interfaces for controlled drug delivery.
• To explore the encapsulation and enzyme-triggered release of hydrophobic molecules using functionalized LC interfaces.
• To evaluate the performance of LC-based nanocarriers compared to conventional micellar systems.

Main Methods:

• Development of enzyme-responsive LC interfaces using a cleavable non-ionic surfactant.
• Encapsulation of a hydrophobic dye within surfactant micelles on the LC interface.
• Investigation of enzyme-triggered dye release kinetics and characteristics.
• Comparative analysis of LC droplet nanocarriers versus conventional micelles.

Main Results:

• Successful design of enzyme-responsive LC interfaces capable of encapsulating hydrophobic payloads.
• Demonstration of enzyme-triggered release of the encapsulated hydrophobic dye.
• LC droplets decorated with dye-loaded micelles exhibited controlled release properties.
• LC nanocarriers showed superior controlled release, unaffected by high dilutions, unlike conventional micelles.

Conclusions:

• LC interfaces functionalized with cleavable surfactants provide a novel platform for enzyme-responsive drug delivery.
• LC droplets offer significant advantages as nanocarriers, including controlled release and stability at high dilutions.
• This research presents a promising approach for developing advanced drug delivery vehicles utilizing tailored LC interfaces.