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A Review of the Application of Resorcinarenes and SBA-15 in Drug Delivery

Abstract

Due to the diseases that people face today, scientists dedicate a part of their research to the synthesis, characterization, and study of functional compounds for controlled drug delivery. On the one hand, resorcinarenes are macrocycles obtained by condensation reactions of resorcinol and aldehyde. They include an upper and a lower rim functioning with different groups that confer solubility to the macrocycle and favor interactions with other compounds, therefore the hydroxyl groups on the upper rim improve the formation of hydrogen bonds. Additionally, resorcinarenes feature a cavity studied for forming host-guest complexes. SBA-15, on the other hand, is a mesoporous silica characterized by ordered pores in its structure and a large surface area. As a result of its properties, it has been used for several purposes, including absorbents, drug delivery, catalysis, and environmental processes. This review shows the recent advances in synthesis methods, characterization, micelle formation, interaction with other compounds, and host-guest procedures, as well as techniques for evaluating toxicity, drug retention, and their preliminary uses in pharmacology for macrocycles, such as resorcin[4]arenes and SBA-15.

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A Review of the Application of Resorcinarenes and SBA-15 in Drug Delivery

Author: Galindres, Diana M.,Cifuentes, Diego,Tinoco, Luz Elena,Murillo-Acevedo, Yesid,Rodrigo, M. Melia,Ribeiro, Ana C. F.,Esteso, Miguel A.
Year: 2022
DOI: 10.3390/pr10040684
Source: https://estudogeral.uc.pt/bitstream/10316/100516/1/A-Review-of-the-Application-of-Resorcinarenes-and-SBA15-in-Drug-DeliveryProcesses.pdf


Ci a ion: Galind es, D.M.; Ci uen es,
D.; Tinoco, L.E.; Mu illo-Ace edo, Y.;
Rod igo, M.M.; Ribei o, A.C.F.;
Es eso, M.A. A Re iew o he
Applica ion o Reso cina enes and
SBA-15 in D ug Deli e y. P ocesses
2022,10, 684. h ps://doi.o g/
10.3390/p 10040684
Academic Edi o : Yi Lu
Recei ed: 7 Feb ua y 2022
Accep ed: 29 Ma ch 2022
Published: 31 Ma ch 2022
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A ibu ion (CC BY) license (h ps://
c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/
4.0/).
p ocesses
Re iew
A Re iew o he Applica ion o Reso cina enes and SBA-15 in
D ug Deli e y
Diana M. Galind es 1,*, Diego Ci uen es 1, Luz Elena Tinoco 1, Yesid Mu illo-Ace edo 1, M. Melia Rod igo 2,
Ana C. F. Ribei o 3and Miguel A. Es eso 2,4,*
1G upo de Fisicoquímica y Análisis Ma emá ico, Facul ad de Ciencias y Humanidades,
Fundación Uni e sidad de Amé ica, Bogo á111321, Colombia;
diego.ci uen es@p o eso es.uame ica.edu.co (D.C.); luz. inoco@p o eso es.uame ica.edu.co (L.E.T.);
yesid.mu illo@p o eso es.uame ica.edu.co (Y.M.-A.)
2
Uni e sidad de Alcalá, U.D. Química Física, 28805 Alcaláde Hena es, Mad id, Spain; mmelia. [email p o ec ed]
3Cen o de Química, Depa amen o de Química, Uni e si y o Coimb a, 3004-535 Coimb a, Po ugal;
[email p o ec ed]
4Uni e sidad Ca ólica de Á ila, Calle Can e os s/n, 05005 Á ila, Spain
*Co espondence: diana.galind es@p o eso es.uame ica.edu.co (D.M.G.); [email p o ec ed] (M.A.E.)
Abs ac :
Due o he diseases ha people ace oday, scien is s dedica e a pa o hei esea ch o
he syn hesis, cha ac e iza ion, and s udy o unc ional compounds o con olled d ug deli e y. On
he one hand, eso cina enes a e mac ocycles ob ained by condensa ion eac ions o eso cinol and
aldehyde. They include an uppe and a lowe im unc ioning wi h di e en g oups ha con e solu-
bili y o he mac ocycle and a o in e ac ions wi h o he compounds, he e o e he hyd oxyl g oups
on he uppe im imp o e he o ma ion o hyd ogen bonds. Addi ionally, eso cina enes ea u e a
ca i y s udied o o ming hos -gues complexes. SBA-15, on he o he hand, is a mesopo ous silica
cha ac e ized by o de ed po es in i s s uc u e and a la ge su ace a ea. As a esul o i s p ope ies, i
has been used o se e al pu poses, including abso ben s, d ug deli e y, ca alysis, and en i onmen al
p ocesses. This e iew shows he ecen ad ances in syn hesis me hods, cha ac e iza ion, micelle
o ma ion, in e ac ion wi h o he compounds, and hos -gues p ocedu es, as well as echniques o
e alua ing oxici y, d ug e en ion, and hei p elimina y uses in pha macology o mac ocycles, such
as eso cin[4]a enes and SBA-15.
Keywo ds:
eso cin[4]a enes; SBA-15; mac ocycles; pha macology; d ug deli e y; mesopo ous silica;
adso ben s; hos -gues complex
1. In oduc ion
A con olled d ug deli e y sys em can be desc ibed as a he apeu ic o mula ion [
1
,
2
],
in which an ac i e p inciple is deli e ed o speci ic pa s o he body a a con olled a e and
ime [
3
]. I is specially designed o main ain he apeu ic le els o he d ug h oughou he
en i e ea men pe iod and no only du ing ce ain in e als o he ea men , as is egula ly
he case wi h adi ional he apy whe e he d ug is dis ibu ed h ough he ci cula o y
sys em [4,5].
As o he use o d ugs in he ea men o di e en diseases in humans, one o he
mos widely used me hods is con olled deli e y sys ems [
6
]. They ep esen a cons an ly
g owing ield, in which bo h he demand o new he apeu ic agen s and he imp o emen
o he mechanisms o adminis e hem a e inc easing. Comme cial p esen a ions o d ug
deli e y sys ems based on polyme echnology a e ela i ely success ul, co e ing a wide
ange o applica ions o a ious applica ion a eas ( o example, in he ea men o diabe es,
cance , os eopo osis, e c.) [
6
,
7
]. Howe e , hese sys ems end o lose hei pha macological
ac i i y as he ac i e p inciple deg ades be o e eaching he a ge issue [8].
P ocesses 2022,10, 684. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/p 10040684 h ps://www.mdpi.com/jou nal/p ocesses
P ocesses 2022,10, 684 2 o 14
In ecen yea s, ad ances in he ield o nano echnology and sup amolecula sys-
ems ha e led o he de elopmen o new nanos uc u ed ma e ials o biomedical
applica ions [9,10]
. Two app oaches applied o d ug deli e y sys ems a e shown in his
e iew: The i s one is sup amolecula sys ems using syn he ic mac ocycles as d ug
ese oi s (micelles, hyd ogels, esicles, liposomes, and nanopa icles) which can espond
o di e en s imuli o elease he d ug in a di ec ed and con olled way, showing some
ad ances in design [
11
–
13
]. They a e sys ems based on calix[4] eso cina enes ha a e
conside ed a amily o syn he ic sup amolecula mac ocycles able o o m cone-shaped
s uc u es and acili a e he o ma ion o complexes wi h gues molecules [14,15]
The second one is sys ems based on mesopo ous ma ices ha allow he encapsula ion
o he ac i e p inciples, p o iding a longe ci cula ion ime and a oiding in oxica ion
caused by high d ug concen a ions in he body. These sys ems ha e a high speci ic su ace
a ea, an o de ed s uc u e, and a la ge olume o po es, which allows a high adso p ion
po en ial and be e con ol o e he loading and elease o he ac i e p inciples. SBA-15 is
a mesopo ous ma e ial ha has an o de ed ne wo k o po es wi h homogeneous size and a
la ge po e olume o accommoda e he equi ed amoun s o d ugs [16–18].
These unique p ope ies o bo h calix[4] eso cina enes and SBA-15 make hese ma e i-
als excellen compounds o use in con olled d ug deli e y sys ems, as summa ized in
Table 1:
Table 1. Summa ize: Uses o Reso cin[4]a enes and SBA-15 in d ug deli e y.
Ac i e P inciple/
Diso de Ca ie Func ional G oup * Topic. Au ho /Yea
Hype glycemia
Insulin Reso cina ene Sul onyl
Diazonium
The modynamics
Solubili ies in wa e
Insulin ib illa ion
Nano anspo e s
Nanocapsules.
Galind es Jimenez e al., 2019.
Han, Tian, e al., 2017.
Maldonado e al., 2017.
Ziganshina e al., 2019.
An ibio ic
Doxo ubicin
Cla i h omycin
Chlo amphenicol
Amoxicillin
Reso cina ene
Guanidine
Acylhid azone
N-me hyl-glucamine
E hylene glycol
N-alkyl, N-A yl
Micelles
Nano anspo e s
Albaya i e al., 2019.
Ali e al., 2020.
Pang e al., 2013
Se gee a e al., 2020.
Se imli & Yılmaz, 2012.
Shuma bae a e al., 2019–2020.
SBA-15 Amine
Polye hyleneimine Adso p ion/Deso p ion
An i-in lamma o y
Indome hacinI
bup o en
Nap oxen
Reso cina ene
PEG
N-alkyl, N-a yl
E hylene glycol
Micelles
Nanoca ie s
Dend ime s
Gao e al., 2014.
Ahmadi e al., 2014.
Ped o-He nández e al., 2017.
Shuma bae a e al., 2019.
Mal ai e al., 2020.
SBA-15 Amine Adso p ion/Deso p ion
An icance
Chlo ambucil
Gemci abine
Reso cina ene Polyamidoamine Dend ime s Mendoza-Ca dozo e al., 2019.
Ra al e al., 2021.
Se imli & Yılmaz, 2012.
SBA-15 Amine Adso p ion/Deso p ion
* I e e s o he unc ional g oup used in he syn hesis o Reso cina ene o he SBA-15 ma e ial.
2. Syn hesis o calix[4] eso cina enes and Po ous Ma e ials (SBA15)
2.1. Syn hesis o calix[4] eso cina enes
Con olled d ug deli e y is a echnique ha aims o achie e op imal he apeu ic e ec s
by deli e ing a d ug in o he body in a con olled and p ecise manne
1
. The app oach o his
managemen sys em comp ises h ee main ac ions: (1) choice o he ou e o adminis a ion
and imp o emen o abso p ion, (2) con olled elease o he o mula ion, and (3) o ien a ion
owa d he si e o ac ion [
19
]. Acco ding o hese app oaches, he encapsula ion o he
di e en ac i e p inciples inside p o ec i e s uc u es is a e y a ac i e al e na i e. These
sys ems seek, among o he s, o educe possible physicochemical o enzyma ic al e a ions o
he ac i e compound. They also aim o inc ease he bioa ailabili y o he ac i e compound
and educe he undesi able side e ec s o i s non-speci ic dis ibu ion [20].
Pha maceu ical o mula ions o ac i e ing edien s wi h low o no aqueous solubili y
o en ha e poo bioa ailabili y when adminis e ed in o he body and he e o e low e icacy.
Among he compounds ha appea as sui able ehicles o he adminis a ion o d ugs wi h
P ocesses 2022,10, 684 3 o 14
low solubili y a e he calix[4] eso cina enes [
21
], These and hei wa e -soluble de i a i es
show good biocompa ibili y and no cy o oxici y, aspec s ele an o hei applica ion in any
p ac ical d ug deli e y sys em [22].
The syn hesis o calix[4] eso cina enes usually in ol es condensa ion o ei he alipha ic
o a oma ic aldehydes wi h eso cinol (Figu e 1); he eac ion is ca alyzed by an acid and is
ca ied ou using e hanol as sol en [23,24].
Figu e 1. The condensa ion eac ion be ween eso cinol and aldehyde.
The abili y o calix[4] eso cina enes o o m hos -gues complexes is based on hei
s uc u e. These molecules consis o ou phenolic esidues linked o me hylene g oups,
allowing he con o ma ion o i e s uc u es (Figu e 2), he mos common o which is he
c own con o ma ion used o hos -gues p ocesses [21].
Figu e 2.
Con o ma ions o calix[4] eso cina enes: (
a
). C own; (
b
). Boa ; (
c
). Chai ; (
d
). Diamond;
(e). Saddle.
Compa ed o o he mac omolecula sys ems ha ha e been s udied o d ug deli e y,
he sys ems like calix[4] eso cina enes ha e ewe epo s in e ms o biomedical appli-
ca ions, due o hei hyd ophobic p ope ies [
9
]. In an a emp o sol e his p oblem,
no el al e na i es a ise in he syn hesis o calix[4] eso cina enes ha a o he hyd ophilic
cha ac e is ics and inc ease he solubili y o hese compounds in wa e . Func ionaliza ion
by a oma ic nucleophilic subs i u ion in posi ion 2 o he a oma ic ings o by nucleonic
subs i u ion on he hyd oxyl g oups [
25
], opens he possibili y o gene a ing unc ionalized
calix[4] eso cina enes sys ems wi h g oups ha allow hem o imp o e hei solubili y.
The in e ac ions wi h o he molecules, selec i e complexa ion, he abili y o eac wi h
a ious molecules, he endency o o m sel -associa ions, and su ace ac i i y, ha e been
s udied [26].
N-me hyl-D-glucamine- eso cin[4]a ene, a de i a i e wi h highe wa e solubili y
han i s p ecu so , can be ob ained by a Mannich eac ion be ween decyl eso cin[4]a ene
P ocesses 2022,10, 684 4 o 14
and N-me hyl-D-glucamine. The syn hesized compound showed an imic obial ac i i y
only agains G am-posi i e bac e ia. E alua ing i s cy o oxic e ec on human e y h ocy es,
i is ound ha his mac ocycle does no cause comple e hemolysis, unlike o he de i a i es
o he calixa enes amily [27].
Me hyl (C1), pen yl (C5), and undecyl (C11) we e used as sys emic subs i uen s on
each ing o he unc ionalized amido(dime hyl)amino-calix[4] eso cina ene as hey ac
as educing and s abilizing agen s in he syn hesis o colloidal gold nanopa icles wi h
sphe ical shape (4–8 nm). In he syn hesis o nanopa icles, inc easing he concen a ion o
he mac ocycle in he solu ion and using mac ocycles wi h unc ional g oups wi h g ea e
hyd ophobici y leads o a dec ease in he size o he pa icles o med. The syn hesized
pa icles end o o m a mac ocycle bilaye on he su ace, which gi es s abili y and g ea e
wa e solubili y o he colloidal sys em. The binding capaci y o colloidal sys ems wi h
a non-s e oidal an i-in lamma o y molecule (Nap oxen) was s udied. Modi ying gold
nanopa icles wi h mac ocycles esul s in a signi ican inc ease in he d ug’s binding
p ope ies, wi h agg ega ions be ween 85% and 98%. [26].
2.2. Syn hesis o SBA-15
A coope a i e sel -assembly p ocess is used o he syn hesis o SBA-15. Fo his pu -
pose, a non-ionic iblock copolyme (Plu onic P123) is used as a empla e, which consis s
o e hylene oxide (EO) and p opylene oxide (PO). On he o he hand, e ame hoxysilane
(TMOS) o e ae hoxysilane (TEOS) a e used as silica sou ces. The hyd ophobic pa is
made o p opylene oxide, while he hyd ophilic pa is made o e hylene oxide. The p ocess
occu s in an acidic medium in wo s eps: (1) he o ma ion o micelles wi h hyd opho-
bic g oups inwa d and hyd ophilic g oups ou wa d; (2) he in e ac ion be ween wa e
molecules and alkylene oxides as a esul o hyd ogen bonds [28,29].
A e iew o he syn hesis p ocedu e o his mesopo ous compound can be ound
in he li e a u e [
30
]. B ie ly, his syn hesis in ol es he ollowing s eps: (a) he ini ial
solu ion is hea ed a 30–40
◦
C o 20–24 h; (b) hen he empe a u e is aised o 80–120
◦
C
o
24–48 h
; (c) a oom empe a u e o e nigh , he solid ob ained is il e ed, washed and
d ied; (d) nex , he solid is d ied a 80
◦
C o 5–6 h, and (e) inally, he sample is calcined a
550
◦
C o 4–6 h. The calcina ion p ocess is key because i emo es he empla e (Figu e 3).
Likewise, depending on he syn hesis condi ions, he size o he mesopo ous can a y ( om
5 o
30 nm
) as well as hei mo phology, hexagonal o cubic (a low EO: PO a io a o s
hexagonal mo phology) [
28
]. As a esul , he po ous solid ob ained will ha e di e en
p ope ies ela ed o a high su ace a ea and mechanical and chemical esis ance.
P ocesses 2021, 9, x FOR PEER REVIEW 5 o 15
+
Figu e 3. Gene al scheme o he p epa a ion o SBA-15.
3. Reso cina enes and hei Applica ions in D ug Deli e y
Sup amolecula chemis y is a discipline o chemis y ha s udies he in e ac ions
be ween molecules om which he o ma ion o in e molecula bonds is de i ed and con-
sequen ly he o ma ion o sup amolecula agg ega es. I s udies he chemical, physico-
chemical and biological p ope ies o hese species ha possess non-co alen in e molec-
ula o ces [31]. Among he compounds o in e es a e he eso cin[4]a enes, which ha e
a ca i y, an uppe im, and a lowe im. These mac ocycles can be unc ionalized: he
lowe im wi h hyd oca bon chains, which allow he hyd ophobici y o he mac ocycle o
a y, and he uppe im, wi h a ious unc ional g oups, such as he sul ona e g oup, he
amino g oup, and o he s ha gi e hem he p ope y o being soluble in wa e , which is
necessa y o p ocesses ela ed o d ug deli e y [32–34].
S udies ha e been ca ied ou on he he modynamic p ope ies o eso cin[4]a enes
showing he beha io o hese mac ocycles in solu ion. Diazo ed eso cin[4]a ene has been
cha ac e ized and syn hesized by spec oscopic echniques [35]. The iscosi ies and den-
si ies o hei solu ions in dime hyl sul oxide (DMSO) we e measu ed a empe a u es
anging om 293.15 K o 313.15 K, in a concen a ion ange o (0.0058 o 0.023) (mol kg−1).
Based on hese da a, he modynamic unc ions a e conside ed, which con ibu e o
unde s anding in e molecula in e ac ions in solu ion. Fo example, he s udy o iscosi-
ies sugges s he exis ence o s ong solu e-sol en in e ac ions, while ha o olumes in-
dica es he p esence o s ong solu e-solu e in e ac ions. On he o he hand, sul ona ed
eso cin[4]a enes ha e been syn hesized and s udies on hei mu ual di usion coe icien s
and mola ionic conduc i i ies in aqueous solu ion a 298.15 K, a concen a ions lowe
han 0.010 mol dm-3 ha e been epo ed. The esul s a e discussed in e ms o in e ac ions
in solu ion, he e ec o he leng h o he chain loca ed a he lowe im o he eso -
cin[4]a ene, and he hyd odynamic adii as compa ed be ween he wo echniques [36].
The di usion coe icien s o bo ine se um albumin in wa e and in he p esence o sul-
ona ed eso cin[4]a enes we e also e alua ed; he alues ob ained om he di usion co-
e icien s we e analyzed in e ms o in e ac ions and as he p esence o eso cin[4]a ene
a o s he in e ac ion be ween p o ein and wa e ; he sal ing-in e ec was also e alua ed
[37]. The anspo p ope ies we e used o model di usion in pha maceu ical and medi-
cal applica ions.
Wa e -soluble eso cina enes ha e been shown o be non- oxic and exhibi p ope
biocompa ibili y, and biodeg adabili y, making hem impo an and use ul molecules o
d ug deli e y p ocesses [38–40]. Menon e al. conduc ed s udies on inclusion complexes
o sulphona ocalix[4] eso cina ene and mycophenola e mo e il, in i o es s pe o med
on animals, showing no oxic e ec s o he complex and moni o ing hei weigh , espi -
a o y sys em, ci cula ion, and sleep. Mycophenola e mo e il was ound o ha e an o al
LD50 o 352 mg kg-1 in a s, 1000 mg kg-1 in mice, and 6000 mg kg-1 in abbi s, bu complex
o ma ion wi h eso cina ene does no cause mo ali y up o 2200 mg kg-1 [41].
Dawn e al. pe o med in i o cy o oxici y assays o calixa enes unc ionalized wi h
di e en g oups and a me allosup amolecula complex, cell iabili y s udies we e pe -
o med using CellTi e -Glo cell and MTT. The compound e icacy was e alua ed in a
C6G cells and human HEK293 cells, wi h oxici y a ying om low o mode a e. This
s udy shows ha he CC50 alues indica e ha he p esence o phosphona e g oups and
Figu e 3. Gene al scheme o he p epa a ion o SBA-15.
3. Reso cina enes and hei Applica ions in D ug Deli e y
Sup amolecula chemis y is a discipline o chemis y ha s udies he in e ac ions
be ween molecules om which he o ma ion o in e molecula bonds is de i ed and
consequen ly he o ma ion o sup amolecula agg ega es. I s udies he chemical, physico-
chemical and biological p ope ies o hese species ha possess non-co alen in e molecula
o ces [
31
]. Among he compounds o in e es a e he eso cin[4]a enes, which ha e a ca i y,
an uppe im, and a lowe im. These mac ocycles can be unc ionalized: he lowe im
wi h hyd oca bon chains, which allow he hyd ophobici y o he mac ocycle o a y, and
he uppe im, wi h a ious unc ional g oups, such as he sul ona e g oup, he amino
P ocesses 2022,10, 684 5 o 14
g oup, and o he s ha gi e hem he p ope y o being soluble in wa e , which is necessa y
o p ocesses ela ed o d ug deli e y [32–34].
S udies ha e been ca ied ou on he he modynamic p ope ies o eso cin[4]a enes
showing he beha io o hese mac ocycles in solu ion. Diazo ed eso cin[4]a ene has
been cha ac e ized and syn hesized by spec oscopic echniques [
35
]. The iscosi ies and
densi ies o hei solu ions in dime hyl sul oxide (DMSO) we e measu ed a empe a u es
anging om 293.15 K o 313.15 K, in a concen a ion ange o (0.0058 o 0.023) (mol kg
−1
).
Based on hese da a, he modynamic unc ions a e conside ed, which con ibu e o
unde s anding in e molecula in e ac ions in solu ion. Fo example, he s udy o iscosi ies
sugges s he exis ence o s ong solu e-sol en in e ac ions, while ha o olumes indica es
he p esence o s ong solu e-solu e in e ac ions. On he o he hand, sul ona ed eso -
cin[4]a enes ha e been syn hesized and s udies on hei mu ual di usion coe icien s and
mola ionic conduc i i ies in aqueous solu ion a 298.15 K, a concen a ions lowe han
0.010 mol dm
−3
ha e been epo ed. The esul s a e discussed in e ms o in e ac ions in
solu ion, he e ec o he leng h o he chain loca ed a he lowe im o he eso cin[4]a ene,
and he hyd odynamic adii as compa ed be ween he wo echniques [
36
]. The di usion
coe icien s o bo ine se um albumin in wa e and in he p esence o sul ona ed eso -
cin[4]a enes we e also e alua ed; he alues ob ained om he di usion coe icien s we e
analyzed in e ms o in e ac ions and as he p esence o eso cin[4]a ene a o s he in e ac-
ion be ween p o ein and wa e ; he sal ing-in e ec was also e alua ed [
37
]. The anspo
p ope ies we e used o model di usion in pha maceu ical and medical applica ions.
Wa e -soluble eso cina enes ha e been shown o be non- oxic and exhibi p ope
biocompa ibili y, and biodeg adabili y, making hem impo an and use ul molecules o
d ug deli e y p ocesses [
38
–
40
]. Menon e al. conduc ed s udies on inclusion complexes o
sulphona ocalix[4] eso cina ene and mycophenola e mo e il,
in i o
es s pe o med on
animals, showing no oxic e ec s o he complex and moni o ing hei weigh , espi a o y
sys em, ci cula ion, and sleep. Mycophenola e mo e il was ound o ha e an o al LD50
o 352 mg kg
−1
in a s, 1000 mg kg
−1
in mice, and 6000 mg kg
−1
in abbi s, bu complex
o ma ion wi h eso cina ene does no cause mo ali y up o 2200 mg kg−1[41].
Dawn e al. pe o med
in i o
cy o oxici y assays o calixa enes unc ionalized wi h
di e en g oups and a me allosup amolecula complex, cell iabili y s udies we e pe -
o med using CellTi e -Glo cell and MTT. The compound e icacy was e alua ed in a C6G
cells and human HEK293 cells, wi h oxici y a ying om low o mode a e. This s udy
shows ha he CC50 alues indica e ha he p esence o phosphona e g oups and he
supp ession o he coo dina ion capaci y educe he cy o oxici y o mac ocycles, he e o e i
is e iden ha he use o calixa enes o eso cina enes as d ug ca ie s is app op ia e [42].
Se e al s udies ha e shown ha a a ie y o molecula hos s a e accommoda ed in e-
so cina ene ca i ands. These a e e sa ile molecula hos s ha e en manage o empo a ily
isola e hem om hei en i onmen [
43
]. Wa e -soluble ca i ands syn hesized by adding
pola g oups a he uppe im o a he lowe im ha e been s udied. These compounds
ha e shown a g ea abili y o accep gues s in aqueous solu ions and ha e also been shown
o ac as hos s when used in micelles and lipid bilaye s.
Insulin is a ho mone eleased by he panc eas due o he p esence o glucose in
he blood. This ho mone ensu es ha glucose en e s he cells o be used as an ene gy
sou ce. Howe e , when insulin does no wo k p ope ly, glucose accumula es in he blood
and causes a ious diseases [
44
,
45
]. Fo his eason, some au ho s ha e dedica ed hei
s udies o e alua ing compounds ha can se e as insulin anspo e s in he body [
46
,
47
].
Xu Han e al.
in es iga ed he ole o eso cina enes in inhibi ing o p omo ing Insulin
Fib illa ion. In his s udy, modi ied eso cina enes wi h a sul ona e g oup a he uppe
im and wi h modi ica ions o hyd oca bon chains a he lowe im we e used o analyze
he e ec o he p esence o hese eso cina enes in he insulin ib illa ion p ocess h ough
expe imen al and compu a ional s udies. ThT assay, CD spec a, and AFM images we e
ca ied ou expe imen ally. Among he esul s ob ained, i is highligh ed ha he p esence
o he hyd oca bon chain o he eso cina ene e ec i ely inhibi s insulin ib illa ion; hese

P ocesses 2022,10, 684 6 o 14
esul s a e p omising o possible he apeu ic s a egies. The expe imen al condi ions used
by he au ho s we e: Thio la in T (ThT) luo escence in ensi y a 485 nm as a unc ion o
incuba ion ime a 65
◦
C in 0.1 M NaCl; ib illa ion kine ics o 0.2 mg / mL human insulin;
pH 1.6 wi h he a io o insulin and eso cina ene a 1: 0, 1: 0.02, 1: 0.05, 1: 0.1 and 1: 0.2,
espec i ely [48].
In he same way, Se gee a e al. epo ed he s udy o sul ona ed eso cina enes as
insulin anspo e s and hei elease in he p esence o glucose, Reso cina enes we e de-
sc ibed as nanoca ie s consis ing o a polyme sphe e con aining sul ona ed eso cina ene
molecules linked by phenylbo ona e b idges, wi h insulin encapsula ed in he ca i y. I was
ound ha depending on he glucose concen a ion, he nanoca ie also ac s; o example,
a a low glucose le el (5 mM), insulin elease is no mo e han 10%, bu an inc ease in glucose
concen a ion up o 10 mM leads o nanoca ie dissocia ion and he subsequen massi e
insulin elease. Dialysa e composi ion, pa icles s abili y, and insulin e en ion abili y we e
e alua ed by NMR. The amoun o unencapsula ed insulin was calcula ed om he a io
o he in eg al o he s anda d insulin solu ion (0.35 mg) in 0.04% DMF o he in eg al o
he insulin signals a 3.47–3.55 ppm and he DMF signal a 7.92. On he o he hand, he
amoun o encapsula ed insulin was calcula ed as he di e ence be ween he amoun s o
o al and non-encapsula ed insulin. In his s udy, he beha io wi h di e en concen a ions
o glucose was also e alua ed by NMR using he UV-Vis echnique, complemen ed by
insulin abso p ion s udies. In he wo p e ious s udies, an impo an ac o men ioned
is ha eso cina enes a e no oxic. In addi ion, because hey possess a ca i y, hey can
e ec i ely encapsula e o he molecules such as insulin and depending on he g oups wi h
which hey a e unc ionalized, hey can become e y soluble in wa e and in blood plasma
a no mal pH le els [49].
P o eins end o be s uc u ally damaged du ing ex ac ion and pu i ica ion p o-
cesses. Fo his eason, s udies ha e ocused on sys ems designed o imp o e p o ein
s abili y [50–52]
. Reso cin[4]a enes ha e been used no only o insulin ib illa ion bu also
o inhibi ion o A
β
- ib illa ion. S udies we e pe o med using echniques such as ThT
assays, a omic o ce mic oscopy, ci cula dich oism, and complemen ing he expe imen al
measu emen s wi h compu a ional me hods. Among he main indings, i was ound ha
hey a e compounds wi h low oxici y and ha in addi ion o blocking A
β
agg ega ion, i
delays he o ma ion o oxic species [53].
Zoled ona e is a d ug ha belongs o he bisphosphona e g oup and is used o ea
os eopo osis. Nine mac ocycles based on calix[4]a enes and calix[4] eso cina enes we e
s udied as hos s o he zoled ona e molecule by ab ini io densi y unc ional heo y calcula-
ions o he ene gies o eigh een hos -sla e complexes and o he s uc u es. Phosphona ed
and sul ona ed calix[4]a enes and calix[4] eso cina enes we e used, and he geome y o
he in e nal ca i ies was conside ed and compa ed wi h hose o he hos -gues complexes.
Calcula ions o he binding ene gy in he gaseous and aqueous s a es, and he limi ing
molecula o bi als including HOMO and LUMO we e made o he quan i a i e e alua ion
o he o ma ions o he hos -gues complexes, showing ha hey a e s able in aqueous so-
lu ions, while in he gaseous s a e some a e s able bu o he s a e no . The no m-conse ing
pseudo-po en ial pseudo-a omic o bi al me hod was adop ed wi h he s anda d DZP basis
se s and he BLYP + dW (G imme) GGA unc ional. Acco ding o he ob ained esul s,
calix[4] eso cina enes allow a be e hos -gues coupling han calix[4]a enes due o he
hyd ogen bonds o med wi h he op edge OH g oups, while sul ona e-calix[4]a enes a e
he mos app op ia e hos o ZOD gues on 1:1 s oichiome y [54].
In wa e and in dodecyl phosphocholine (DPC) micelles, Ja o e al. s udied he hos
capaci y o molecules con aining wa e -soluble eso cina enes and a guanidine g oup a
he lowe im, using NMR spec oscopy echniques. Ini ially, he ca i and syn hesis was
ca ied ou and la e he au ho s simula ed bo h molecula dynamics and op imiza ion
p og amming using he PM3 semiempi ical me hod in he Spa an 04 so wa e, con e ed
o GROMOS (gmx53a6 o ce ield) opology h ough he Topolbuild 1.3 p og am. He e, he
P ocesses 2022,10, 684 7 o 14
spon aneous inco po a ion o he ca i and in o he micelle is e idenced, hus e alua ing
hei beha io as ca ie s o biological compounds and hei u u e applica ions [43].
New molecules o calix[4] eso cina enes and me hoxy-PEG (mPEG) conjuga ed h ough
acylhyd azone bonds we e syn hesized. The e ec o hese compounds on he o ma ion o
sup amolecula d ug deli e y sys ems was s udied. The calix[4] eso cina enes we e syn he-
sized in boa and chai con o ma ions o ob ain amphiphilic conjuga es as sup amolecula
nanocon aine s and dend ime ic. The s uc u es o he conjuga es we e wo ked om
1H, 13C, FT-IR spec oscopy and NMR, Maldi-TOF mass spec oscopy, and SLS me hod.
The cy o oxici y o he compounds and he abili y o encapsula e d ugs such as Dox and
Me hylene Blue we e e alua ed and
in i o
s udies wi h M-Hela cells and Chang li e
cells we e ca ied ou . The esul s show ha he Dox-conjuga e has a be e e ec agains
umo cells han ha o he ee d ug. S udies con i med he hemolysis es wi h he lowes
hemo oxici y o he conjuga es: only 2.2% o cells s ain in he p esence o 9 mg
·
mL
−1
o
C11-mPEG and 8.7% in he p esence o 4.5 mg·mL−1o C1Ph-mPEG [55].
Doxo ubicin (DOX) is a well-known d ug ha has an imi o ic and an ip oli e a i e
ac i i y. Se gee a e al. syn hesized a polyme ic nanoca ie o he doxo ubicin deli e y:
basically, consis s o N-me hyl-glucamine eso cina enes co alen ly bound o phenyl-
bo onic acid. The nanoca ie was ound o be non- oxic and hemoly ically inac i e in he
concen a ion ange in which he au ho s wo ked. In addi ion, i was concluded ha he
nanoca ie is s able a no mal pH bu hyd olyzes a pH below 6. S udies used echniques
such as TEM, NMR, luo escence, and cy o oxici y, inding ha he nanoca ie a o s i s
pene a ion in o he cance cells and inc eases he cy o oxici y o DOX owa ds cells [56].
Mendoza-Ca dozo e al. used ou eso cina ene-polyamidoamine (PAMAM) conju-
ga es o chlo ambucil dend ime s wi h di e en g oups a he lowe pa o he mac ocycle;
he dend i ic a ms o di e en leng hs gene a ed good s abili y o he chemical bond be-
ween he ca ie and he d ug. The an icance ac i i y o eso cina ene conjuga es wi h
chlo ambucil was es ed.
in i o
es s we e pe o med agains six human cance cell lines:
U-251, PC3, K-562, HCT-15, MCF-7, and SKLU-1. S udies conduc ed wi h K-562, human
ch onic myelogenous leukemia cells showed ha chlo ambucil was less e ec i e han he
conjuga e as an an ip oli e a i e agen [57].
Calix[
4
] eso cina ene nano esicles wi h a diame e o 210 nm we e syn hesized. The
mac ocycles we e cha ac e ized by echniques such as Dynamic Ligh Sca e ing (DLS),
Fou ie T ans o m In a ed Spec oscopy (FTIR), Mass Spec oscopy, Di e en ial Scanning
Calo ime y (DSC), and X-Ray Di ac ion (XRD). The esul s show ha in he p esence o
chlo o o m, he syn hesized mac ocycles exhibi good monodispe si y o d ug and calixa s
and show a loading capaci y o 85%. The sphe ical shape o he esicle was e i ied using
echniques such as a omic o ce mic oscopy, which leads o a good elease o he d ug.
In i o
es s and hemolysis, es s we e ca ied ou , inding esul s ha can be ex apola ed
o a po en ial applica ion as a d ug anspo e agains cance [58].
Reso cina ene-cen e ed amphiphilic eigh -a med s a block copolyme s (SPCL-b-PEG)
we e syn hesized. The compounds we e ob ained wi h a de ined a chi ec u e and con olled
molecula weigh . Thei sui abili y as nanoca ie s o indome hacin and o he d ugs was
e alua ed as hey sel -assembled in he o m o micelles. A s ong hyd ophobic in e ac ion
be ween he d ugs and he PCL blocks was ound, showing a high e iciency o encapsula e
he d ug. The mac ocycles we e syn hesized by a se ies o eac ions and cha ac e ized by
H-NMR; subsequen ly, hei micelliza ion capaci y and he c i ical micella concen a ion
we e in es iga ed. Con olled elease and d ug loading we e e alua ed, inding ha
encapsula ion e iciency dec eased om 88.1% o 57.3% and d ug loading con en inc eased
om 8.8% o 17.2% when he heo e ical indome hacin loading inc eased om 10.0% o
30.0% [59].
The syn hesis o mul i- ailed eso cina ene (MTR) was pe o med h ough wo eac-
ions, he i s was he eac ion by O-alkyla ion o 4-hyd oxybenzaldehyde and he second
was he condensa ion wi h eso cinol. The mac ocycle was cha ac e ized by
1
H-NMR,
mass spec ome y, and FT-IR. F om he s udies, he sel -assembly and agg ega ion be-
P ocesses 2022,10, 684 8 o 14
ha io o he amphiphilic mac ocycle in an aqueous medium, and he esicles in e ms
o mo phology and c i ical micella concen a ion (CMC), CMC alues o 0.055 mM and
niosomal esicles wi h an a e age diame e o 210
±
2 nm we e de e mined. Hyd ophobic
d ugs such as cla i h omycin we e loaded due o he abili y o he MTR o sel -assemble.
D ug en apmen e iciency o 65.12
±
3.31% and maximum d ug elease a e 8 h we e
obse ed [33].
Reso cina ene-de i ed mac ocycles we e syn hesized o e alua e he e icacy o que c-
e in; he biocompa ibili y was assessed by hemolysis and cy o oxici y es s. The c i ical
concen a ion o associa ion (CCA) o cynna ene-based mac ocycle (Benzyloxy Mac ocycle,
BM) was de e mined by using a UV-Vis spec opho ome e . Que ce in-loaded esicles
e ealed a size o app oxima ely 225.5
±
16.31 nm wi h 88
±
1.52% QRT encapsula ion [
60
].
A he lowe edge o he mac ocycle, ibup o en conjuga es we e syn hesized wi h
eso cina ene dend ime s wi h alipha ic and a oma ic subs i uen s. Cellula in e naliza ion
o he eso cina ene-PAMAM-ibup o en dend ime s was e alua ed by cla h in-media ed
endocy osis. In his wo k, he au ho s ound ha he leng h o he dend i ic b anches
and hei chemical s uc u e di ec ly in luenced he hyd olysis o he d ug-conjuga ed
dend ime s. I is p o ed ha he syn hesized compounds ha e high po en ial an icance
ac i i y, especially in he p esence o 8- and 16- esidue subs i u ions o ibup o en in he den-
d i ic b anches compa ed wi h he e ec o ibup o en alone, his was p o ed by biological
ac i i y assays [61].
The syn hesis and cha ac e iza ion o he new conjuga e o e aphenylenexypen yl-
calix[4] eso cina ene and me hoxy-poly(e hylene glycol) was ca ied ou . The o ma ion o
micelles in an aqueous solu ion was s udied. The p esence o phenylene-oxy-g oups in he
hyd ophobic co e o he micelles p omo es he encapsula ion o d ugs such as nap oxen,
ibup o en, and doxo ubicin; he alues o encapsula ion e ec i eness we e 39.8%, 26.7%
and 28.9%, espec i ely [62].
4. Inclusion Complexes Based on SBA-15 and Thei Applica ions in D ug Deli e y
The con olled d ug deli e y p ocess is associa ed wi h he adso p ion p ocess, in
which he d ug is p e e en ially adso bed in he po osi y and a he han on he su ace.
Su ace adso p ion equi es examining di e en a iables o he medium, such as pH
changes o p e en c ys alliza ion. As a esul , i is de e mined ha he concen a ion o he
d ug has a as adso p ion kine ic and ha a sho ime in e al is needed o he deso p ion
kine ics o be eleased in he in ended o gan [63].
Ahmadi e al. epo ed ha modi ica ion o he su ace o SBA-15 wi h amino g oups
esul s in a dec ease in he a e o d ug deli e y bu also signi ican ly inc eases he in e ac-
ion wi h he unc ional ca boxyl g oup o ibup o en. In his s udy, SBA-15 modi ied wi h
(3-aminop opyl) ie hoxysilane
is used o he anspo o ibup o en. Using echniques
such as X- ay di ac ion (XRD), scanning elec on mic oscopy (SEM), N
2
adso p ion-
deso p ion iso he m, he mog a ime ic analysis (TGA), di e en ial he mal analysis and
Fou ie T ans o m In a ed Spec oscopy (FTIR), SBA-15-NH
2
was sa u a ed wi h ibup o en
in n-hexane solu ion a di e en imes, empe a u es, ibup o en/silica a ios and s i ing
a es. In his sense, he op imal expe imen al condi ions we e ound o be 40
◦
C, 35 h, wi h
a d ug/SBA-15 a io o 50:100 and a s i ing speed o 100 pm. The in e ac ion be ween he
amino g oups o SBA-15-NH
2
and he ca boxyl g oups o ibup o en conside ably inc eases
he d ug concen a ion on he su ace, so he unc ionaliza ion o mesopo ous ma e ials
wi h amino g oups has a high impac on bo h d ug anspo and adso p ion p ocess. Based
on he esul s o his s udy, we conclude ha ibup o en is anspo ed mo e e icien ly
on he modi ied su ace o SBA-15 wi h SBA-15 amino g oups; howe e , his implies a
dec eased elease a e [64].
The e ec o modi ying he su ace o SBA-15 wi h amino g oups, o be used as an
adso ben o an an ibio ic such as chlo amphenicol in aqueous solu ion, was s udied
using a pos -syn hesis p ocedu e. Expe imen s we e conduc ed analyzing a iables such
as con ac ime (0–72 h), mass (10–120 mg), and ini ial concen a ion (10–120 mg
·
L
−1
) o
P ocesses 2022,10, 684 9 o 14
de e mine he e ec s o he di e en a iables on he e iciency o he adso p ion p ocess.
Cha ac e iza ion echniques such as SEM, BET su ace a ea, FTIR, TGA and XRD, show
ha he ob ained ma e ials co espond o SBA-15 and NH
2
-SBA-15. The esul s ound
allowed o ob ain an adso p ion capaci y o 51% o a concen a ion highe han 20 mg
·
L
−1
.
On he o he hand, he d ug elease esul s show an op imal ime o hal an hou , wi h
a alue o 41.35%. Thus, i can also be deduced ha he adso p ion capaci y is di ec ly
p opo ional o bo h he NH
2
-SBA-15 dose and he con ac ime bu in e sely p opo ional
o he ini ial concen a ion [65].
Bah ami e al. epo ed ha he elease o gemci abine (a d ug used o cance ea -
men ) depends on pH; his was in he case o he modi ied samples con aining NH
2
g oups.
The ob ained esul s show a p omising u u e in e ms o applica ions o mesopo ous ma e-
ials in an icance d ug deli e y sys ems. They wo ked wi h NH
2
-SBA-15, N(OH)
2
-SBA-15,
and 3N-SBA-15 unc ionalized wi h APTES, HAPS, and AEPS, espec i ely. Cha ac e iza-
ion echniques such as TGA, N
2
adso p ion/deso p ion, SEM, TEM, small angle X- ay
sca e ing (SAXS), elemen al analysis, UV spec oscopies, and FTIR we e used. I was
concluded ha he o ma ion o ca ie s ha in e ac be e wi h he d ug may be due o
su ace modi ica ion. Fu he mo e, he ype and numbe o alkoxysilane g oups a ec he
adso p ion o gemci abine on he modi ied samples. The maximum amoun o adso bed
d ug (21.65 w %) is ela ed o he concen a ion o APTES on he su ace o NH
2
-SBA-15
(2.64 mmol
·
g
−1
). I can be concluded ha a modi ica ion o he su ace chemis y o SBA-15
makes he modi ied SBA-15 nano ods sui able ca ie s o gemci abine [16].
Mesopo ous silica SBA-15 was e alua ed as a ca ie o he anspo o he cy o oxic
na u al p oduc emodin (EO). A dose-dependen dec ease in cell iabili y is shown, s ic ly
ela ed o an inc easing amoun o EO in SBA-15 up o 27% EO. On he o he hand, a
cons an ac i i y was obse ed a 32% and 36% EO in SBA-15.
The p opo ion o SBA-15 and EO was a ied (SBA-15, always 100 mg; EO: 20, 30, 40,
50 o 60 mg; SBA-15|EO1
→
SBA-15|EO5, espec i ely) ob aining ma e ials wi h di e en
concen a ions. The EO con en in SBA-15 o hese ma e ials anged om 8.1 o 36.4 %
wi h an e iciency o 88.2–95.6% (in con as o SBA-15|EO whe e only 0.7% EO was ound
in mesopo ous silica nanopa icles (MSN)).
SBA-15|EOn (n = 1 o 5) was cha ac e ized by ni ogen adso p ion-deso p ion iso he-
ms, ene gy dispe si e X- ay spec oscopy (EDX), SEM, TEM, IR spec oscopy, and SAXS.
SBA-15 was ac i a ed unde he ollowing condi ions ( acuum, 150
◦
C, 16 h) and used
o ob ain di e en amoun s o EO. Fi s , EO loading ( a io: SBA-15, 100 mg; EO, 10 mg)
was pe o med a oom empe a u e (
→
SBA-15|EO1) and a 60
◦
C (
→
SBA-15|EO1a), o
check he empe a u e dependence o he concen a ion e iciency in SBA-15. High and
compa able d ug concen a ion e iciency in SBA-15 was demons a ed in he cases s udied
unde he speci ied condi ions (a oom empe a u e: 88.2%; a 60 ◦C: 90.4%).
Acco dingly, he au ho s de e mined ha a po ous ma e ial such as SBA-15 enhances
he ac i i y o EO
in i o
, and e en p o ec s he ac i e compound om spon aneous
inac i a ion by ligh o om deg ada ion by gas ic pH, whe e ex emely acidic condi ions
p e ail [66].
In Mal ai e al., a mill-based loading me hod (MAL) is used o concen a e a poo ly
wa e -soluble d ug (ibup o en, IBP) in he solid s a e wi hin he SBA-15 ma ix. F om he
esul ing TGA, Raman, di e en ial scanning calo ime y analysis, and X- ay di ac ion i
appea s ha he c ys alli es a e su ounded by a liquid monolaye and loca ed in he co e
o he channel. I is also e iden om he s udy ha he dec ease in mel ing empe a u e
o he con ined c ys alli es is a ec ed by he po e diame e and no by he size o he
c ys alli es along he channel di ec ion, which a e egula ly la ge han he po e diame e .
DSC expe imen s showed ha hese c ys alli es coexis wi h amo phous PPI loca ed in
he co e o he channel and su ounded by an amo phous su ace-in e ac ing laye , wi h a
hickness app oxima ely equal o one molecule o ibup o en (
∼
1 nm). As desc ibed, e y
high solubili y and as elease om SBA-15 (9 nm) ma ices o amo phous PPI can be
achie ed om PPI con inemen . The PPI elease can be p olonged by sligh ly manipula ion