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

Abstract 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 β‐cyclodextrin sodium salt ( SACD ) and amphiphilic ferrocene derivative ( FC 12 + 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.