Supramolecular Assembly of Thiolated Cyclodextrin and Ferrocene Derivative for Controlled Drug Delivery

Construction of biocompatible nanoparticles is a significant topic of research at the chemistry/biology interface. Presently, more and more researchers have focused on supramolecular amphiphiles constructed by macrocycle-induced aggregation, a feasible and universal strategy in the fabrication of functional nanomaterials. In this work, we report a pH-responsive nanoparticle through a noncovalent complexation between per-6-thiolated beta-cyclodextrin sodium salt (SACD) and amphiphilic ferrocene derivative (FC12+Br-) in water. The formation and composition of the obtained supramolecular nanoparticles were comprehensively characterized by UV/Vis absorption, dynamic laser scattering, and microscopic observations. Furthermore, the drug loading and release studies demonstrated that the supramolecular binary nanoparticles could efficiently encapsulate doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) in their nanoparticulate cores, and the entrapped DOX could be rapidly released in a low pH environment. The present study suggests that the obtained binary supramolecular amphiphiles with good stability, tunable assembling/disassembling behaviors, and controlled drug loading/release properties have great potential in the construction of on-demand drug-delivery systems.