Aromatic Anion Carrier\nvia Self-Assembly with Imidazolium-Fused\nAromatic Amphiphiles

The transport of anions across cell membranes is difficult\nbecause\nof the negatively charged outer surfaces of cell membranes. To overcome\nthis limitation, herein, we report a system for transporting aromatic\nanions across cellular membranes via self-assembly using a synthetic\nimidazolium-fused aromatic amphiphile. The amphiphile with cationic\nand aromatic groups in close proximity to each other could interact\nwith anionic pyranine via electrostatic and aromatic interactions\nto form supramolecular vesicles. Supramolecular vesicles based on\nthe synthetic imidazolium-fused aromatic amphiphile and pyranine complex\ntransport anionic aromatic pyranine across the membranes of live MCF-7\ncells without cytotoxicity.