Multivalent Supramolecular Self-Assembly between ß-Cyclodextrin Derivatives and Polyoxometalate for Photodegradation of Dyes and Antibiotics.

An organic-inorganic hybrid supramolecular self-assembly was successfully constructed by multivalent interaction of ethylenediamine-ß-cyclodextrin and polyoxometalate in water, which was comprehensively characterized by UV-vis, NMR, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectra, and zeta potential. Interestingly, the resultant nanoparticles exhibited highly efficient catalytic ability for the photodegradation of organic dyes rhodamine B, xylenol orange, methyl orange, methylene blue, and crystal violet, and antibiotics nitrofurazone, tetracyclines, and berberine in the presence of H2O2 under the irradiation of mercury lamp or sunlight, which provides ideas for the treatment of organic pollutants.

Supramolecular Assemblies with Near-Infrared Emission Mediated in Two Stages by Cucurbituril and Amphiphilic Calixarene for Lysosome-Targeted Cell Imaging.

A two-stage mediated near-infrared (NIR) emissive supramolecular assembly for lysosome-targeted cell imaging is presented. 4,4'-Anthracene-9,10-diylbis(ethene-2,1-diyl))bis(1-ethylpyridin-1-ium) bromide (ENDT) was synthesized as an organic dye with weak fluorescence emission at 625 nm. When ENDT complexes with cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]), this binary supramolecular complex assembles into nanorods with a near-infrared fluorescence emission (655 nm) and fluorescence enhancement as the first stage. Such supramolecular complexes interact with lower-rim dodecyl-modified sulfonatocalix[4]arene (SC4AD) to form nanoparticles for further fluorescence enhancement as the second stage. Furthermore, based on a co-staining experiment with LysoTracker Blue, such nanoparticles can be applied in NIR lysosome-targeted cell imaging.

Sulfonato-ß-Cyclodextrin Mediated Supramolecular Nanoparticle for Controlled Release of Berberine.

A kind of supramolecular assemblies was constructed from two water-soluble and biocompatible saccharides, sulfonato-ß-cyclodextrin (SCD) and chitosan, and characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), UV-vis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that such nanoparticles presented good stability and controlled loading/release property, which enabled them as good drug carrier for berberine chloride (BE), a representative drug from traditional Chinese herbs. That is, the nanoparticles can load BE with high stability in a low-pH environment like that of the stomach but released BE when moved to a high-pH environment like that of the intestine.