pH-responsive supramolecular nanoparticles based on sulfobutylether7-β-CD/cationic surfactant and its controllable release of doxorubicin

Novel supramolecular nanoparticles were successfully built by sulfobutylether7-β-cyclodextrin and benzyl dodecyl dimethyl ammonium bromide. The assembly and disassembly behavior were determined by UV–Vis, Tyndall effect, dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and zeta potential. Upon decreasing pH values, the resulting nanoparticles disassemble. The nanoparticles will be restored to spherical nanoparticles when the pH increases to the initial value. Due to the negative zeta potential, the nanoparticles showed good loading capacity for doxorubicin (DOX). DOX-loaded nanoparticles exhibited pH-responsive drug release behavior and possess higher cytotoxicity than the positive control, cisplatin. Thus, the simple and effective supramolecular nanoparticles with desirable load/release DOX property was constructed as pH-responsive drug delivery system.