Preparation and characterization of the crystalline inclusion complexes between cyclodextrins and poly(1,3-dioxolane)

The preparation and characterization of the crystalline inclusion complexes between a polymeric guest, poly(1,3-dioxolane) (PDXL), and small-molecular hosts, cyclodextrins (CDs) are reported. It is observed that the polymer guest can form crystalline inclusion complexes with three kinds of cyclodextrins, which may be attributed to the high oxygen atom density in PDXL chain. The crystalline inclusion complexes were characterized with FTIR , TGA, X-ray diffraction, SEM, 1H NMR and 13C CP/MAS NMR spectroscopes. It was found that the crystalline inclusion complexes have higher temperature stability than the pure CDs. The X-ray powder diffraction patterns of the crystalline inclusion complexes proved that they have columnar structures. 13C CP/MAS NMR spectra of the crystalline inclusion complexes indicate that CDs adopt a more symmetrical conformation in the complexes, while pure CDs assume a less symmetrical conformation in the crystal without a guest inside their cavities. The morphology of the crystal was     

Doubly hydrophilic multiarm hyperbranched polymers with acylhydrazone linkages as acid-sensitive drug carriers

A novel type of drug carrier capable of controlled drug release is proposed. It consists of an acid-sensitive doubly hydrophilic multiarm hyperbranched copolymer with a hyperbranched polyamidoamine core and many linear poly(ethylene glycol) arms. Using pH-sensitive acylhydrazone linkages, the polymer forms unimolecular micelles that can encapsulate hydrophobic drugs. Due to their amphiphilicity, the drug-loaded unimolecular micelles can self-assemble into multimolecular micelles that show acid-triggered intracellular delivery of the hydrophobic drugs.     

Supramolecular self-assembly and controllable drug release of thermosensitive hyperbranched multiarm copolymers

A novel temperature-responsive hyperbranched multiarm copolymer with a hydrophobic hyperbranched poly(3-ethyl-3-(hydroxymethyl)oxetane)(HBPO) core and thermosensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)(PNIPAM) arms was synthesized via the atom transfer radical polymerization(ATRP) of NIPAM monomers from a hyperbranched HBPO macroinitiator.It was found that HBPO-star-PNIPAM self-assembled into multimolecular micelles(around 60 nm) in water at room temperature according to pyrene probe fluorescence spectrometry,1H N...     

Synthesis,characterization, and rheological properties of multiarm stars with poly(glycidol) core and poly(methyl methacrylate) arms by AGET ATRP

Well‐defined multiarm star block copolymers poly(glycidol)‐b‐poly(methyl methacrylate) (PGOHBr‐b‐PMMA_x) with an average number of PMMA arms of 85, 55, and 45 have been prepared. The core‐first approach has been selected as the methodology using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of MMA from an activated hyperbranched poly(glycidol) as the core. These activated hyperbranched macroinitiators were prepared by esterification of hyperbranched poly(glycidol) (PGOH) with 2‐bromoisobutyryl bromide. The effect of monomer/initiator ratio, catalyst concentration, time, temperature, and solvent on the growing of the arms has been studied in detail in order to optimize the process and to diminish the radical‐radical coupling. The final products and intermediates were characterized by means of size exclusion chromatography (SEC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform‐infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The length of PMMA arms was determined by SEC after cleavage of ester bond linked to PGOH core. Glass transition temperature (T_g), thermal stability and rheological properties of the multiarm star copolymers were also studied. Finally, tapping mode atomic force microscopy (TMAFM) allowed the clear visualization of nano‐sized particles (80–200 nm) corresponding to individual star molecules. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Biocleavable polyrotaxane-plasmid DNA polyplex for enhanced gene delivery

A biocleavable polyrotaxane, having a necklace-like structure consisting of many cationic alpha-cyclodextrins (alpha-CDs) and a disulfide-introduced poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), was synthesized and examined as a nonviral gene carrier. The polyrotaxane formed a stable polyplex having positively charged surface even at low charge ratio. This is likely to be due to structural factors of the polyrotaxane, such as the mobile motion of alpha-CDs in the necklace-like structure. Rapid endosomal escape was observed 90 min after transfection. The positively charged surface and the good buffering capacity are advantageous to show the proton sponge effect. The pDNA decondensation occurred through disulfide cleavage of the polyrotaxane and subsequent supramolecular dissociation of the noncovalent linkages between alpha-CDs and PEG. Transfection of the DMAE-SS-PRX polyplex is independent of the amount of free polycation. Those properties played a key role for delivery of pDNA clusters to the nucleus. Therefore, the polyplex nature and the supramolecular dissociation of the polyrotaxane contributed to the enhanced gene delivery.     

Synthesis of cationic hyperbranched multiarm copolymer and its application in self-reducing and stabilizing gold nanoparticles

A novel hyperbranched multiarm copolymer of HBPO-star-PDEAEMA with a hydrophobic poly(3-ethyl-3-(hydroxymethyl) oxetane)(HBPO) core and many cationic poly(2-(N,N-diethylamino) ethyl methacrylate)(PDEAEMA) arms has been synthesized through an atom transfer radical polymerization(ATRP) method,and been applied to spontaneously reduce and stabilize gold nanoparticles(AuNPs) in water without other additional agents.The size of the nanoparticles could be effectively controlled at about 4 nm,and the nanoparticles ...     

Comparison of cyclodextrin-barbiturate noncovalent complexes using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis

Various noncovalent complexes between native and derivatized cyclodextrins (CDs) and barbiturates were studied using capillary electrophoresis (CE) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). This paper involves the study of four aspects of CD-barbiturate noncovalent inclusion complexes. The first study focused on determining the formation of CD-barbiturate inclusion complexes in ESI-MS. This determination was accomplished by the comparison of migration data from CE with ESI-MS inclusion complex peak abundances, which were found to be complementary. The second study found the possibility of predicting native beta-CD mediated CE elution orders for barbiturates using data from ESI-MS. A third study focused on the formation of barbiturate inclusion complexes with derivatized beta-CD and gamma-CD. As part of this study, the effect of the extent of side chain substitution on native CD complexation behavior was investigated. The results indicated that the number of side chains on the CD does not affect the formation of barbiturate complexes with the hydrophobic CD cavity. Finally, a comparison of the hydroxypropyl-beta-CD-barbiturate and hydroxypropyl-gamma-CD-barbiturate complexes in CE and ESI-MS was made to study the relationship between strength of drug-CD binding and enantioresolution. The results from the above studies indicated that the gas phase and the solution state complexes showed comparable behavior indicating that similar interactions played a role in stabilizing these complexes. While it was possible to use the ESI-MS data to determine drug binding to the CDs, it was not possible to predict whether a separation of the enantiomers of a chiral barbiturate would occur. However, the ESI-MS data could be used to eliminate certain CDs from consideration as chiral selectors.     

Synthesis of novel multi-arm star azobenzene side-chain liquid crystalline copolymers with a hyperbranched core

A series of novel multi-arm star side-chain liquid crystalline (LC) copolymers with hyperbranched core moieties were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using a multi-functional hyperbranched polyether as the initiator and chlorobenzene as the solvent. The multi-functional hyperbranched polyether initiator was prepared from poly(3-ethyl-3-(hydroxymethyl)oxetane) (PEHO) and 2-bromo-2-methylpropionyl bromide. The azobenzene side-chain liquid crystalline arms were designed to have an LC conformation of poly[6-(4-methoxy-4^′-oxy-azobenzene)hexyl methacrylate] with different molecular weights. Their characterization was performed with ¹H NMR, size exclusion chromatograph (SEC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal polarized optical microscopy (POM). The multi-arm star side-chain liquid crystalline copolymers exhibited a smectic and a nematic phase, and the phase transition temperatures from the smectic to the nematic phase and from the nematic to isotropic phase increased with increasing the molecular weight of the multi-arm star side-chain liquid crystalline copolymers from 1.78 × 10⁴ to 9.07 × 10⁴.     

Core–shell‐type multiarm star polyethylenimine‐block‐poly(ε‐caprolactone): Synthesis and guest encapsulation potential

Novel multiarm star copolymers with poly(?‐caprolactone) (PCL) as the arms and hyperbranched polyethylenimine (HPEI) as the core have been successfully prepared by the tin(II) 2‐ethylhexanoate catalyzed ring‐opening polymerization of ?‐caprolactone (CL) with HPEI used directly as a macroinitiator. Not only primary but also secondary amine groups of HPEI participate in initiating the ring‐opening polymerization of CL with almost 100% initiation efficiency. The average degree of polymerization of the PCL arms can be controlled by the feed ratio of the monomers to the initiating sites. Because of the polarity difference of the PCL arms and HPEI core, the obtained multiarm star polymers display an inverted micellar structure with potential extraction and encapsulation of water‐soluble guests. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 4165–4173, 2006     

Supramolecular hydrogel formation based on inclusion complexation between poly(ethylene glycol)-modified chitosan and alpha-cyclodextrin

Supramolecular hydrogels have been prepared on the basis of polymer inclusion complex (PIC) formation between poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-modified chitosans and alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD). A series of PEG-modified chitosans were synthesized by coupling reactions between chitosan and monocarboxylated PEG using water-soluble carbodiimide (EDC) as coupling agent. With simple mixing, the resultant supramolecular assembly of the polymers and alpha-CD molecules led to hydrogel formation in aqueous media. The supramolecular structure of the PIC hydrogels was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction, and (13)C cross-polarized/magic-angle spinning (CP/MAS) NMR characterization. The PEG side-chains on the chitosan backbones were found to form inclusion complexes (ICs) with alpha-CD molecules, resulting in the formation of channel-type crystalline micro-domains. The IC domains play an important role in holding together hydrated chitosan chains as physical junctions. The gelation property was affected by several factors including the PEG content in the polymers, the solution concentration, the mixing ratio of host and guest molecules, temperature, pH, etc. All the hydrogels in acidic conditions exhibited thermo-reversible gel-sol transitions under appropriate conditions of mixing ratio and PEG content in the mixing process. The transitions were induced by supramolecular association and dissociation. These supramolecular hydrogels were found to have phase-separated structures that consist of hydrophobic crystalline PIC domains, which were formed by the host-guest interaction between alpha-CD and PEG, and hydrated chitosan matrices below the pK(a).The formation of inclusion complexes between alpha-cyclodextrin and PEG-modified chitosan leads to the formation of hydrogels that can undergo thermo-reversible supramolecular dissociation.     

Two-phase channel structures based on alpha-cyclodextrin-polyethylene glycol inclusion complexes

Wide-angle X-ray scattering observations of alpha-cyclodextrin (CD)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) inclusion complexes (ICs) have shown for the first time that two crystalline columnar modifications (forms I and II) are produced in the process of their formation. This was made possible by precise azimuthal X-ray diffraction scanning of oriented IC samples. Form I is characterized by CDs threaded onto PEG chains and arranged along channels in the order head-to-head/tail-to-tail, while form II is formed by unbound CDs also arranged into columns in a head-to-tail and also possibly a head-to-head/tail-to-tail manner, probably as a result of template crystallization on the form I IC crystals. It was shown that similar structural peculiarities are inherent for channel structures based on ICs obtained with PEG with a wide range of molecular weights (MWs). The characteristic feature of ICs based on PEG, especially with MW > 8000, is the presence of unbound polymer in the composition of the complex. The amount of unbound PEG was shown to rise with increasing MW of PEG, resulting in greater imperfections in the IC crystalline structure. The polyblock structure of ICs based on alpha-CD and PEG was therefore proposed.     

Synthesis of poly(epsilon-lysine)-grafted dextrans and their pH- and thermosensitive hydrogelation with cyclodextrins.

To give pH sensitivity to a thermoreversible supramolecular-structured hydrogel system, poly(epsilon-lysine) (PL), as a cationic polymer, was grafted to dextran and used for inclusion complexation with alpha-cyclodextrins (alpha-CDs). The synthesized graft copolymer was characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy, and the hydrogel formation was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and solid-state 13C NMR analysis. The hydrogelation was induced from a phase-separated structure of hydrated dextrans and hydrophobically aggregated inclusion complexes in buffer solution at pH 10.0. The prepared hydrogels showed thermoreversible gel-sol transitions as well as pH-sensitive phase transitions, which were recorded by the changes in UV/Vis transmittance. A rapid phase transition from gel to sol was observed upon decreasing the pH value to 4.0, which resulted from the dissociation process between the protonated guest polymer and alpha-CDs. The stimuli-responsive physical properties of the hydrogels were improved by modulating the degree of substitution of the grafted PL and the combination with alpha-CDs.     

Self‐Assembly of Rod–Coil Polyethylenimine–Poly(ethylene glycol)–α‐Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complexes into Hollow Spheres and Rod‐Like Particles

This paper describes the self‐assembly of rod–coil inclusion complexes, polyethylenimine–poly(ethylene glycol)–α‐cyclodextrin (PEI–PEG–α‐CD). It is demonstrated that α‐CDs should exclusively thread on the PEG block in PEI–PEG copolymers and the resulting complexes have both rigid block (PEG–α‐CD) and coil block (protonated PEI). By varying the rigid block fraction, aggregates with hollow spheres or rod‐like particles could be formed simply by self‐assembly in aqueous solution.     

Threading-unthreading equilibrium in solution of molecular nanotubes and linear flexible polymer chains

Using the Flory-Huggins lattice model, we investigate the threading-unthreading equilibrium in a solution of linear flexible polymer chains and molecular nanotubes formed by covalently bonding the ringlike molecules, such as cyclodextrins (CDs). It is found that the threading-unthreading equilibrium depends on the temperature and the molar concentrations of the ringlike molecules and polymer chain segments but is independent of the polymer chain length, which agrees with the experimental observations. By fitting the experimental data of alpha-CD and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), the inclusion energy between alpha-CD and PEG, which includes the conformation energy loss of PEG resulted from the inclusion, is calculated to be approximately -20.45 kJ/mol per PEG unit.     

Dendritic galactosides based on a beta-cyclodextrin core for the construction of site-specific molecular delivery systems: synthesis and molecular recognition studies

In order to evaluate the ability of multivalent glycosides based on a beta-cyclodextrin core as site-specific molecular carriers, a study on both the inclusion complexation behaviour and lectin binding affinity of branched and hyperbranched beta-cyclodextrins is presented. A series of cluster galactosides constructed on beta-cyclodextrin scaffolds containing seven 1-thio-beta-lactose or beta-lactosylamine bound to the macrocyclic core through different spacer arms were synthesised. In addition, the first synthesis of three first-order dendrimers based on a beta-cyclodextrin core containing fourteen 1-thio-beta-D-galactose, 1-thio-beta-lactose and 1-thio-beta-melibiose residues was performed. Calorimetric titrations performed at 25 degrees C in buffered aqueous solution (pH 7.4) gave the affinity constants and the thermodynamic parameters for the complex formation of these beta-cyclodextrin derivatives with guests sodium 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonate (ANS) and 2-naphthalenesulfonate, and lectin from peanut (Arachis hypogaea) (PNA). The persubstitution of the primary face of the beta-cyclodextrin with saccharides led to a slight increase of the binding constant values for the inclusion complexation with ANS relative to the native beta-cyclodextrin. However, the increase of the steric congestion due to the presence of the saccharide residues on the narrow rim of the beta-cyclodextrin may cause a decrease of the binding ability as shown for sodium 2-naphthalenesulfonate. The spacer arms are not passive elements and influence the host binding ability according to their chemical nature. PNA forms soluble cross-linked complexes with cluster galactosides and lactosides scaffolded on beta-cyclodextrin but not with cluster galactopyranosylamines or melibiose. Both, perbranched and hyperbranched beta-cyclodextrins, form stronger complexes with PNA than the monomeric analogues. However, the use of hyperbranched CDs does not contribute to the improvement of the complex stability relative to heptakis-glycocyclodextrin derivatives. Finally, a titration experiment with PNA and a complex formed by a heptakis lactose beta-cyclodextrin derivative with sodium 2-naphthalenesulfonate showed the formation of a soluble cross-linked complex with stronger affinity constant and higher stoichiometry than those observed for the complex formation of PNA with the same heptakis-lactose beta-cyclodextrin derivative, suggesting the formation of a three component complex.     

Noncovalent columnar structures based on β-cyclodextrin

A new method for the synthesis of associates of cyclodextrins (CDs) of the columnar type consisting of the precipitation of CDs from aqueous solutions into acetone at lowered temperatures is developed. It is shown that columnar structures exist in both a crystalline state and in aqueous solutions. Hydrodynamic radii and molecular masses of noncovalent columnar structures (NCSs) in aqueous solutions are determined by the dynamic and static light scattering methods. The degree of association of noncovalent columnar polymers is ～40. It is revealed the NCS associates based on β-CD are stable and their hydrodynamic radius R _h is equal to 100 ± 10 nm. The kinetics of interactions of initial β-CD and NCS with poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) is studied. The pattern of kinetic curves of R _h growth upon interaction between NCS and PPO indicates that the aggregation of the particles of polymer inclusion complex proceeds in the regime of reaction-limited cluster-cluster aggregation. Kinetic curves describing the interaction processes between β-cyclodextrin and PPO are characterized by the presence of induction period t ₀. At t > t ₀, R _h ∞ t ^0.56 which is typical for the diffusion-limited cluster-cluster aggregation. Schemes of the formation of polymer inclusion complexes between initial β-CD or NCS and poly(propylene oxide) are proposed. Comparison of kinetic data on the complexation of β-CD in solution in the form of associates of two types with PPO demonstrates that columnar forms of associates are reactive species acting as macroreceptors.     

Spatial arrangement of alpha-cyclodextrins in a rotaxane. Insights from free-energy calculations

The rotaxane formed by alpha-cyclodextrins (alpha-CDs) threaded onto a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chain was investigated in the gas phase and in an aqueous solution by means of molecular dynamics simulations. The free-energy difference between the three possible spatial arrangements of consecutive alpha-CD--viz.. head-to-head (HH), head-to-tail (HT), and tail-to-tail, was determined using free-energy perturbation calculations. These simulations reveal that the interaction of alpha-CD with the PEG chain is very similar in the two surroundings, whereas the mutual interaction of the macrocycles is stronger in the gas phase than in the aqueous solution. Moreover, difference in the overall interaction appears to stem primarily from changes in the electrostatic contribution. Analysis of intermolecular hydrogen bonds indicates that hydrogen bonds created between alpha-CD and water molecules weaken the hydrogen-bonding interaction of adjacent alpha-CDs. Comparison of the free-energy differences characteristic of the three possible spatial arrangements of contiguous alpha-CDs reveals that the HH motif of the rotaxane is the most stable in the gas phase due to the hydrogen-bond formation between the secondary hydroxyl groups of the two alpha-CDs, and the slight preference for the HT motif in aqueous solution, which can be related to the directionality of the dipole moment borne by the macrocycles in these two motifs.     

Construction of different supramolecular polymer systems by combining the host–guest and hydrogen‐bonding interactions

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) can form either the inclusion complex with α‐cyclodextrins (α‐CDs) through host–guest interactions or the interpolymer complex with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) through hydrogen‐bonding interaction. Mixing α‐CD, PEG, and PAA ternary components in an aqueous solution, the competition between host–guest and hydrogen‐bonding interactions occurs. Increasing feed ratio of α‐CD:EG:AA from 0:1:1 to 0.2:1:1 (molar ratio), various interesting supramolecular polymer systems, such as hydrogen‐bonding complex, dynamic polyrotaxane, crystalline inclusion complex, and thermoresponsive hydrogel, are successively obtained. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 1114–1120, 2008     

Supramolecular design for multivalent interaction: maltose mobility along polyrotaxane enhanced binding with concanavalin A

High molecular mobility of maltose-conjugated alpha-cyclodextrins (alpha-CDs) along a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chain due to the mechanically locked structure of polyrotaxanes enhanced multivalent interactions between maltose and concanavalin A (Con A). When maltose groups are conjugated with alpha-CDs that were threaded onto a PEG capped with benzyloxycarbonyl l-tyrosine (polyrotaxane), Con A-induced hemagglutination was greatly inhibited by polyrotaxanes with a certain threading % of alpha-CDs. Such an inhibitory effect was significantly superior to the other type of conjugates, in which poly(acrylic acid) was used as a backbone for maltose conjugation. The spin-spin relaxation time (T2) of the maltose C(1) proton in the polyrotaxane at a typical alpha-CD threading % was significantly larger than that of any other conjugate, which was well related to the inhibitory effect. Therefore, we concluded that the high mobility of maltose groups along the polyrotaxane structure contributes to enhanced Con A recognition.     

Local and network structure of thermoreversible polyrotaxane hydrogels based on poly(ethylene glycol) and methylated alpha-cyclodextrins

Thermoreversible gelation and microphase formation of aqueous solutions of a methylated polyrotaxane (MePR) were investigated by means of differential scanning microcalorimetry, rheometry, and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The aqueous solutions of MePR show a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) and form an elastic gel with increasing temperature. The sol-gel transition of the MePR solutions was induced by formation and deformation of aggregates of methylated alpha-cyclodextrins (alpha-CDs) of polyrotaxane due to hydrophobic dehydration and hydration, respectively. The XRD investigation revealed localization and highly ordered arrangement of methylated alpha-CDs along the PEG chain in the gel. The arrangement of CDs was also reflected by the changes in elasticity and long relaxation behavior of the solution around the sol-gel transition. The quasiequilibrium shear modulus of MePR solutions showed the critical phenomena against temperature. The scaling exponents measured at two different concentrations were almost equal to the values predicted by a gel percolation theory. Therefore, the heat-induced gelation of aqueous MePR solutions is well explained by a model in which clusters assembled with methylated alpha-CDs are gradually connected to the network as the temperature increases.