First Vesicular Self-Assembly of Crotocembraneic Acid, a Nano-Sized Fourteen Membered Macrocyclic Diterpenic Acid

Study of the spontaneous self-assembly of molecules in aqueous binary solvent mixture yielding vesicular self-assemblies has been an area of intense research in recent years because of its tremendous potential application in controlled-release drug delivery systems, medical implants, tissue engineering, etc. Crotocembraneic acid1, a nano-sized 14-membered macrocyclic diterpenic acid, is extractable from the leaves of Croton oblongifolius Roxb. First self-assembly property of the nano-sized macrocyclic diterpenoid 1 in aqueous binary solvent mixtures is reported here. The diterpenoid spontaneously self-assembled in aqueous binary solvent mixtures yielding vesicles of nano- to micro-meter diameters. The vesicular self-assemblies were capable of entrapping various fluorophores including the anticancer drug doxorubicin.