Cucurbituril As A Versatile Tool to Tune the Functions of Proteins

Overcoming barriers with non-covalent interactions: supramolecular recognition of adamantyl cucurbit[n]uril assemblies for medical applications

Adamantane, a staple in medicinal chemistry, recently became a cornerstone of a supramolecular host-guest drug delivery system, ADA/CB[n]. Owing to a good fit between the adamantane cage and the host cavity of the cucurbit[n]uril macrocycle, formed strong inclusion complexes find applications in drug delivery and controlled drug release. Note that the cucurbit[n]uril host is not solely a delivery vehicle of the ADA/CB[n] system but rather influences the bioactivity and bioavailability of drug molecules and can tune drug properties. Namely, as host-guest interactions are capable of changing the intrinsic properties of the guest molecule, inclusion complexes can become more soluble, bioavailable and more resistant to metabolic conditions compared to individual non-complexed molecules. Such synergistic effects have implications for practical bioapplicability of this complex system and provide a new viewpoint to therapy, beyond the traditional single drug molecule approach. By achieving a balance between guest encapsulation and release, the ADA/CB[n] system has also found use beyond just drug delivery, in fields like bioanalytics, sensing assays, bioimaging, etc. Thus, chemosensing in physiological conditions, indicator displacement assays, in vivo diagnostics and hybrid nanostructures are just some recent examples of the ADA/CB[n] applicability, be it for displacements purposes or as cargo vehicles.

Broad-Spectrum Extracellular Antiviral Properties of Cucurbit[n]urils

Viruses are microscopic pathogens capable of causing disease and are responsible for a range of human mortalities and morbidities worldwide. They can be rendered harmless or destroyed with a range of antiviral chemical compounds. Cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n]s) are a family of macrocycle chemical compounds existing as a range of homologues; due to their structure, they can bind to biological materials, acting as supramolecular "hosts" to "guests", such as amino acids. Due to the increasing need for a nontoxic antiviral compound, we investigated whether cucurbit[n]urils could act in an antiviral manner. We have found that certain cucurbit[n]uril homologues do indeed have an antiviral effect against a range of viruses, including herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and SARS-CoV-2. In particular, we demonstrate that CB[7] is the active homologue of CB[n], having an antiviral effect against enveloped and nonenveloped species. High levels of efficacy were observed with 5 min contact times across different viruses. We also demonstrate that CB[7] acts with an extracellular virucidal mode of action via host-guest supramolecular interactions between viral surface proteins and the CB[n] cavity, rather than via cell internalization or a virustatic mechanism. This finding demonstrates that CB[7] acts as a supramolecular virucidal antiviral (a mechanism distinct from other current extracellular antivirals), demonstrating the potential of supramolecular interactions for future antiviral disinfectants.

Cucurbituril-Functionalized Nanocomposite as a Promising Industrial Adsorbent for Rapid Cationic Dye Removal

A supramolecular cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6])-enriched magnetic montmorillonite (CBCM) nanocomposite was prepared and characterized. CB[6] played a prominent role as a capping agent, helping in better distribution of the nanoparticles, and as a binder between nanoparticles. Montmorillonite provided structural stability and fortified ultrafast adsorption toward dyes. Its application in the removal of cationic dyes from wastewater was systematically assessed. Process parameters such as pH, initial dye concentration, dosage, temperature, and time were optimized. Kinetics and isotherms of the process were described using pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Langmuir isotherm, respectively. CBCM exhibited rapid dye removal capacity in short reaction times with q max of 199.20, 78.31, and 55.62 mg g-1 and K2 of 0.0281, 0.0.0823, and 0.0953 L mg-1 min-1 for crystal violet, methylene blue, and rhodamine B, respectively. Benefiting from the synergetic effects of montmorillonite surface hydrophobicity, abundant carbonyl groups of CB[6], and magnetic properties of copper ferrite, CBCM demonstrated outstanding dye removal capacity, negligible leaching at saturation, and high tolerance toward harsh conditions. This intrinsic nature is expedient in prolonged industrial operations. To demonstrate industrial viability, syringe filtration and continuous flow fixed-bed column operations were validated. The CBCM fixed-bed column demonstrated stable dye removal efficiency with 10-100 mg mL-1 dye at 10-50 mL min-1 flow rates. Utilizing the magnetic and catalytic activities of the copper ferrite nanoparticles, CBCM was recycled using a magnet, regenerated, and reused for several cycles. CB[6] remarkably improved the performance of the nanocomposite and made it suitable for different effluent treatment techniques. This may pave a sustainable way toward the efficient onsite treatment of effluent at the industrial scale.

Selective Recognition of Amino Acids and Peptides by Small Supramolecular Receptors

To this day, the recognition and high affinity binding of biomolecules in water by synthetic receptors remains challenging, while the necessity for systems for their sensing, transport and modulation persists. This problematic is prevalent for the recognition of peptides, which not only have key roles in many biochemical pathways, as well as having pharmacological and biotechnological applications, but also frequently serve as models for the study of proteins. Taking inspiration in nature and on the interactions that occur between several receptors and peptide sequences, many researchers have developed and applied a variety of different synthetic receptors, as is the case of macrocyclic compounds, molecular imprinted polymers, organometallic cages, among others, to bind amino acids, small peptides and proteins. In this critical review, we present and discuss selected examples of synthetic receptors for amino acids and peptides, with a greater focus on supramolecular receptors, which show great promise for the selective recognition of these biomolecules in physiological conditions. We decided to focus preferentially on small synthetic receptors (leaving out of this review high molecular weight polymeric systems) for which more detailed and accurate molecular level information regarding the main structural and thermodynamic features of the receptor biomolecule assemblies is available.

Orally administered mesoporous silica capped with the cucurbit[8]uril complex to combat colitis and improve intestinal homeostasis by targeting the gut microbiota

RATIONALE

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are still awaiting innovative treatments that can maximize the efficiency of site-specific drug release in the colon while enhancing intestinal homeostasis.

METHODS

Herein, we present multilayer-coated mesoporous silica (MSs) which release payload drugs specifically in the colon tract in the presence of azoreductase produced by the gut microbiota, and simultaneously rejuvenate the tryptophan metabolism of the microbiome to induce activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) for increased anti-inflammatory effects. The MSs were prepared by using cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) as a supramolecular "handcuff" to assemble chitosan/hyaluronic acid multilayers on the periphery of a mesoporous silica core.

RESULTS

Strikingly, although MSs remained fairly stable in both acidic and neutral pH, they exhibited excellent responsiveness towards dithionite, an azo-reducing agent employed as a substitute to mimic the specific azoreductase environment in vitro. In comparison with the drug in its free form, hydrocortisone-loaded MSs showed optimized accumulation of therapeutics in the colonic mucosa with minimized premature release in the upper gastrointestinal tract in in vivo imaging and biodistribution studies. The enhanced therapeutic effects of MSs were confirmed in dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis in mice with promoted colonic epithelial barrier integrity, elevated level of AHR agonists and modulated production of inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, 16S rRNA analysis showed that the disrupted gut homeostasis of colitic mice was partly corrected by MSs.

CONCLUSION

This novel drug delivery system using self-assembly of tryptophan-functionalized chitosan, which was precomplexed with CB[8], and azobenzene-functionalized hyaluronic acid on the surface of mesoporous silica nanoparticles provides a synergistic gut microbiota-targeting approach for IBD therapy.

Cucurbit[8]uril-mediated pseudo[2,3]rotaxanes

Pseudo[2,3]rotaxanes have been successfully fabricated by the complexation of cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) macrocycles with extended viologen derivatives. Two design rules enable the incorporation of a third CB[8] onto a recently reported pseudo[2,2]rotaxane. Incorporation of a third macrocycle confines the dimeric stacking of chromophores into specific alignment, leading to effective electron-delocalisation along their long molecular axis.

A Sample Preparation Technique Using Biocompatible Composites for Biomedical Applications

Infectious diseases, especially pathogenic infections, are a growing threat to public health worldwide. Since pathogenic bacteria usually exist in complex matrices at very low concentrations, the development of technology for rapid, convenient, and biocompatible sample enrichment is essential for sensitive diagnostics. In this study, a cucurbit[6]uril (CB) supermolecular decorated amine-functionalized diatom (DA) composite was fabricated to support efficient sample enrichment and in situ nucleic acid preparation from enriched pathogens and cells. CB was introduced to enhance the rate and effectiveness of pathogen absorption using the CB-DA composite. This novel CB-DA composite achieved a capture efficiency of approximately 90% at an Escherichia coli concentration of 10⁶ CFU/mL within 3 min. Real-time PCR analyses of DNA samples recovered using the CB-DA enrichment system showed a four-fold increase in the early amplification signal strength, and this effective method for capturing nucleic acid might be useful for preparing samples for diagnostic systems.

Change of the kinetics of inclusion in cucurbit[7]uril upon hydrogenation and methylation of palmatine

The negative activation entropy of tetrahydropalmatine inclusion makes the entry into cucurbit[7]uril significantly slower than in the case of dehydrocorydaline.

Nature of cucurbituril-halogen encapsulation. Structural and interaction energy consideration in the X2@CB[n] (X = Cl, Br, I, n = 6, 7, 8) from relativistic DFT calculations

The formation of host-guest species is a relevant issue in the obtaining of supramolecular arrays. In this work, the encapsulation of dihalogen molecules into different cucurbituril hosts allows further evaluation of the role of size and interaction energy for the stabilization of host-guest species. Our results for the X2@CB[n] (X = Cl, Br, I, n = 6, 7, 8) series, allow exploration of the hosts providing increasing cavity sizes, resulting in different host-guest scenarios. It is found that the interaction is mostly given by London type interactions (59% to 65%), followed by the electrostatic character of the interaction (31-27%). For species with a packing coefficient (PC) within the suggested favorable range (PC = 55-68%), and lower, the strength of the stabilizing electrostatic interaction and covalent character, and the repulsive Pauli term, remain similar. Moreover, the dispersion term varies to a large extent, owing to its relation to the available interacting internal face of CB[n], which is less in n = 7 and 8 counterparts. Hence, greater host flexibility is able to maximize the host-guest interactions, where this feature can be viewed as an interesting characteristic towards molecular recognition capabilities, which can be further studied in other related species such as cyclodextrins, pillararenes and other supramolecular hosts.

Cucurbit[8]uril-Based Polymers and Polymer Materials

Cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) is unique and notable in the cucurbit[n]uril family, since it has a relatively large cavity and thus is able to simultaneously accommodate two guest molecules. Typically, an electron-deficient first guest and an electron-rich second guest can be bound by CB[8] to form a stable 1:1:1 heteroternary supramolecular complex. Additionally, two homo guests can also be strongly dimerized inside the cavity of CB[8] to form a 2:1 homoternary supramolecular complex. During the past decade, by combining polymer science and CB[8] host-guest chemistry, a variety of systems have been established to construct supramolecular polymers with polymer chains typically at the nanoscale/sub-microscale, and CB[8]-based micro/nanostructured polymer materials in the form of polymer networks and hydrogels, microcapsules, micelles, vesicles, and colloidal particles, normally in solution and occasionally on surfaces. This Review summarizes the noncovalent interactions and strategies used for the preparation of CB[8]-based polymers and polymer materials with a focus on the representative and latest developments, followed by a brief discussion of their characterization, properties, and applications.