Solid Inclusion Complexes of α-Cyclodextrin and Perdeuterated Poly(oxyethylene)

γ-Cyclodextrin-based polypseudorotaxane hydrogels for ophthalmic delivery of flurbiprofen to treat anterior uveitis

Anterior uveitis is a sight-threatening inflammation inside the eyes. Conventional eye drops for anti-inflammatory therapy need to be administered frequently owing to the rapid elimination and corneal barrier. To address these issues, polypseudorotaxane hydrogels were developed by mixing Soluplus micelles (99.4 nm) and cyclodextrins solution. The optimized hydrogels exhibited shear-thinning and sustained release properties. The hydrogels exhibited higher transcorneal permeability coefficient (P_app, 1.84 folds) than that of drug solutions. Moreover, animal study indicated that the hydrogels significantly increased the precorneal retention (AUC, 21.2 folds) and intraocular bioavailability of flurbiprofen (AUC_{Aqueous humor}, 17.8 folds) in comparison with drug solutions. Importantly, the hydrogels obviously boosted anti-inflammatory efficacy in rabbit model of endotoxin-induced uveitis at a reduced administration frequency. Additionally, the safety of hydrogels was confirmed by cytotoxicity and ocular irritation studies. In all, the present study demonstrates a friendly non-invasive strategy based on γ-CD-based polypseudorotaxane hydrogels for ocular drug delivery.

Solvent-Free Formation of Cyclodextrin-Based Pseudopolyrotaxanes of Polyethylene Glycol: Kinetic and Structural Aspects

Pseudopolyrotaxanes (PPRs) are supramolecular structures consisting of macrocycles able to thread on a linear polymer chain in a reversible, non-covalent way, often referred to in the literature as “molecular necklaces”. While the synthesis and reaction mechanisms of these structures in solution have been widely described, their solvent-free production has received little attention, despite the advantages that this route may offer. We propose in this work a kinetic mechanism that describes the PPR formation in the solid phase as a process occurring in two consecutive stages. This mechanism has been used to investigate the spontaneous formation of a PPR that occurs when grinding α-Cyclodextrin (α-CD) with polyethylene glycol (PEG). In the threading stage, the inclusion of the polymer and subsequent release of the water molecules lodged in the cavity of the macrocycle cause vibrational changes that are reflected in the time-dependence of the FTIR-ATR spectra, while the further assembly of PPRs to form crystals produces characteristic reflections in the XRD patterns, due to the channel-like arrangement of CDs, that can be used to track the formation of the adduct in crystalline form. The effects that working variables have on the kinetics of the reaction, such as temperature, feed ratio, molar mass of the polymer and the introduction of an amorphous block in the polymer structure, have been investigated. The rate constants of the threading step increase with the temperature and the activation energy of the process increases at lower proportions of CD to PEG. This is attributed to the lower degree of covering of the polymer chain with CDs that reduces the hydrogen-bonding driven stabilization between adjacent macrocycles. The formation of crystalline PPR, which takes place slowly at room temperature, is markedly promoted at higher temperatures, with lower proportions of CD favoring both the formation and the growth of the crystals. The molar mass of the polymer does not modify the typical channel-like arrangement of packed PPRs but the conversion into crystalline PPR diminishes when using PEG1000 instead of PEG400. At a microscopic level, the crystals arrange into lamellar structures, in the order of hundreds of nm, embedded in an amorphous-like matrix. The introduction of a polypropylene oxide block in the structure of the polymer (Pluronic L62) renders poorer yields and a considerable loss of crystallinity of the product of the reaction. The methodology here proposed can be applied to the general case of inclusion complexes of CDs with drugs in the solid phase, or to multicomponent systems that contain polymers as excipients in pharmaceutical formulations along with CDs.

Fine structures of self-assembled beta-cyclodextrin/Pluronic in dilute and dense systems: a small angle X-ray scattering study

The evolution of the fine structures of self-assembled polypseudorotaxane (PPR) in Pluronic (PL F108) solutions containing dilute to dense beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) was illustrated for the first time by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Dense β-CD (∼19 w/v%) was found feasible to be dispersed in 24% citric acid solution. 5% of PL F108 formed cylindrical micelles of 1 nm in radius and 8 nm in length in the presence of 24% citric acid through the dehydration of citric acid and citrate. PPR was formed through host-guest interaction between PL F108 and β-CD. In dilute β-CD system (1%), the single chains of PPR with separated β-CD stacks on PL F108 were formed. The numbers of β-CD in each stack increased from 1 to 4 on increasing β-CD concentration to 9%. In a dense β-CD system, PPR condensed to correlated structures majorly composed of two unit blocks through the hydrogen bonds between PPRs. Two distinguishable correlated domains with correlation lengths of 50 nm (marked α-phase) and 46 nm (marked β-phase) along the chains, but without fine periodic structure within each individual domain, were identified in the 10% β-CD solution. Periodic stacking of β-CD in the domains developed in the 12% solution. As β-CD concentration increased from 12 to 19%, the correlated heights of α and β phases reduced from 41 and 32 nm to 30 and 10 nm, respectively. There were 48 β-CDs that stabilized on each PL F108 chain in the 19% β-CD system, which is in good agreement with stoichiometry.

Self-assembled stimuli-responsive polyrotaxane core-shell particles

Thermodynamically assembled core-shell nanocarriers are potential candidates for drug delivery applications due to their submicrometer size and the ability to load drugs into their hydrophobic core. Herein, we describe the formation of core-shell particles that consist of noncovalent polymers, that is, polyrotaxanes (PRXs), that form an α-cyclodextrin (αCD) core surrounded by a corona of low-fouling poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The PRX core-shell particles are able to sequester small organic molecules, such as pyrene and calcein, releasing these small molecules during degradation. The small, cellular peptide, glutathione, was used to degrade the particles through the reductive cleavage of disulfide bonds that stabilize the individual PRX polymers. Cleavage of a single bond allows for the degradation of the supramolecular-polymer, making these PRX core-shell particles highly responsive. Furthermore, these particles demonstrate negligible cytotoxicity in mammalian cells, making them promising carriers for future drug delivery research.

Fabrication and structural analysis of polyrotaxane fibers and films

Polyrotaxane (PR), a typical example of topological supramolecular architecture, consists of multiple cyclic molecules threaded onto a linear polymer backbone and capped with bulky end-groups. The PR system of polyethylene glycol and α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) has been extensively studied for its facile synthesis, unique molecular structure, and possible applications for various smart materials. We have previously demonstrated the fabrication of PR-based fibers without chemical cross-links by wet spinning of PR solution. In this paper, we investigate the crystal structure of α-CDs in PR fibers and the effect of drawing on it. The α-CDs in PR fiber are found to form hexagonal channel-type structure. The drawing process promotes formation of the packing arrangement of α-CDs in the c-axis because of the sliding of α-CD molecules along the polymer backbone. In addition, we demonstrate the preparation of an elastomeric PR film having similar network structure to the fibers and ethylene glycol oligomer as plasticizer.

Formation and self-organization kinetics of alpha-CD/PEO-based pseudo-polyrotaxanes in water. A specific behavior at 30 degrees C

alpha-Cyclodextrins (alpha-CDs) have the ability to form inclusion complexes with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) polymer chains. These pseudo-polyrotaxanes (PPRs) can be obtained by quenching an alpha-CD/PEO mixture in water from 70 degrees C down to a lower temperature (typically in the range from 5 to 30 degrees C) thanks to favorable interactions between alpha-CD cavities and PEO chains. Moreover, starting from a liquid alpha-CD/PEO mixture at a total mass fraction of 15% w/w at 70 degrees C, the formation of PPRs with time at a lower temperature induces a white physical gel with time, and phase separation is observed. We established that PPR molecules are exclusively found in the precipitated phase although unthreaded alpha-CD molecules and unthreaded PEO chains are in the liquid phase. At 30 degrees C, the physical gel formation is much slower than at 5 degrees C. At 30 degrees C, we established that, in a first step, alpha-CDs thread onto PEO chains, forming PPR molecules which are not in good solvent conditions in water. At a higher length scale, rapid aggregation of the PPR molecules occurs, and threaded alpha-CD-based nanocylinders form (cylinder length L = 5.7 nm and cylinder radius R = 4.7 nm). At a higher length scale, alpha-CD-based nanocylinders associate in a Gaussian way, engendering the formation of precipitated domains which are responsible for the high turbidity of the studied system. At the end of this first step (i.e., after 20 min), the system still remains liquid and the PPRs are totally formed. Then, in a second step (i.e., after 150 min), the system undergoes its reorganization characterized by a compacity increase of the precipitated domains and forms a physical gel. We found that PPRs are totally formed after 20 min at 30 degrees C and that the system stays in a nongel state up to 150 min. This opens new perspectives regarding the PPR chemical modification: between these two characteristic times, we can easily envisage an efficient chemical modification of the PPR molecules in water, as for instance an end-capping reaction leading to the synthesis of polyrotaxanes.

Cyclodextrin-based supramolecular architectures: syntheses, structures, and applications for drug and gene delivery

The supramolecular structures formed between cyclodextrins (CDs) and polymers have inspired interesting developments of novel supramolecular biomaterials. This review will update the recent progress in studies on supramolecular structures based on CDs and block copolymers, followed by the design and synthesis of CD-based supramolecular hydrogels and biodegradable polyrotaxanes for potential controlled drug delivery, and CD-containing cationic polymers and cationic polyrotaxanes for gene delivery. Supramolecular hydrogels based on the self-assembly of the inclusion complexes between CDs with biodegradable block copolymers could be used as promising injectable drug delivery systems for sustained controlled release of macromolecular drugs. Biodegradable polyrotaxanes with drug-conjugated CDs threaded on a polymer chain with degradable end-caps could be interesting supramolecular prodrugs for controlled and targeting delivery of drugs. CD-containing cationic polymers as gene carriers showed reduced cytotoxicity than non-CD-containing polymer counterparts. More importantly, the polyplexes of CD-containing cationic polymers with DNA could be pegylated through a supramolecular process using inclusion complexation between the CD moieties and a modified PEO. Finally, new cationic polyrotaxanes composed of multiple oligoethylenimine-grafted CDs threaded and end-capped on a block copolymer chain were designed and synthesized as a new class of polymeric gene delivery vectors, where the chain-interlocked cationic cyclic units formed an integrated supramolecular entity to function as a macromolecular gene vector. The development of the supramolecular biomaterials through inclusion complexation has opened up a new approach for designing novel drug and gene delivery systems, which may have many advantages over the systems based on the conventional polymeric materials.

Effect of Guest Hydrophobicity on Water Sorption Behavior of Oligomer/α-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complexes

Cyclomaltohexaose (alpha-cyclodextrin, alpha-CD) can form inclusion complexes (ICs) with polymer molecules in the columnar crystal structure in which alpha-CD molecules stack to form a molecular tube. Complementary water vapor sorption and wide-angle X-ray diffractomery (WAXD) were performed on oligomer/alpha-CD ICs to determine their structures and stabilities. To discern the effect of guest molecule hydrophobicity on water adsorption isotherms, polyethylene glycol (PEG, MW = 600 g/mol) and hexatriacontane (HTC) guests were used. Sorption isotherms for PEG/alpha-CD IC are similar to those obtained for pure alpha-CD and PEG, suggesting the presence of dethreaded PEG in the sample. WAXD collected before and after water vapor sorption of PEG/alpha-CD IC indicated a partial conversion from columnar to cage crystal structure, the thermodynamically preferred structure for pure alpha-CD, due to dethreading of PEG. This behavior does not occur for HTC/alpha-CD IC. Sorption isotherms collected at 20, 30, 40, and 50 degrees C allowed the calculation of the isosteric heats of adsorption and the integral entropies of adsorbed water which are characterized by minima that indicate the monolayer concentration of water in the ICs.

Synthesis and characterization of high molecular weight polyrotaxanes: towards the control over a wide range of threaded α-cyclodextrins

This work focuses on the synthesis of polyrotaxanes with high molecular weight template poly(ethylene glycol) PEG (20 kg mol) having various and well-defined amounts of α-cyclodextrins (α-CD) per chain from 3 up to 125. is the complexation degree of the polyrotaxane defined to be the average number of cyclodextrin molecules per template chain. The usual route has been used for high values of , while sparsely complexed polyrotaxanes have been synthesized with an original one pot synthesis in water. Furthermore, a systematic study was carried out to understand and control the complexation degree of the polyrotaxane as a function of the complexation time, the temperature and the initial ratio of α-CD to template polymer. It has been shown that a high temperature thermal plateau leads to the formation of very sparsely complexed (low ) pseudo-polyrotaxanes for which, the threaded α-CD act like nuclei and generate a favourable driving force for the final complexation at lower temperature.