Drug Binding and Delivery with Supramolecular System Based on Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose and Viologen Calix[4]resorcinol

In the present work, a simple supramolecular approach was used to spontaneously form nanoparticles from sodium carboxymethylcellulose and viologen calix[4]resorcinol as a result of joint self-assembly in water at room temperature. Supramolecular interactions between them led to the formation of nanoparticles, the morphology and properties of which depend on polymer/macrocycle ratio. When there is excess of macrocycle, the nanoparticles bind lipophilic oleic acid, and when there is excess of polymer, they bind hydrophilic doxorubicin. Interestingly, the solubilization of lipophilic quercetin into these nanoparticles was significantly increased compared to the pure polymer and macrocycle, regardless of their ratio. The nanoparticles of triple composition (polymer/macrocycle/drug) have a more effective penetration ability in tumorcells than those of double composition (polymer/drug). The presented results are the first step towards the creation of new nanotechnologies to improve the bioavailability and delivery of bioactive components.