Synthesis and Self-Assembly Studies of Reusable Cholesterol-Based Amphiphiles in Wastewater Treatment and Drug Delivery

Abstract Glycine, alanine, and serine are three different amino acids that were used as structural building blocks to synthesize three different cholesterol-based amphiphiles (CAPs). Their gelation behavior was systematically examined in binary solvent systems using a wide range of methods, such as UV–vis spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, rheological measurements, SEM, and XRD. It is interesting to note that all composites showed outstanding adsorption behavior toward water-soluble dyes. The CSAP gel matrix achieved a maximum dye adsorption capacity of approximately 272 mg/g for the calcein dye in aqueous solution. The dye separation study indicates that recyclable CAP amphiphiles are effective adsorbents for large-scale environmental remediation. Additionally, the fabricated matrix demonstrates potential for separating oil from an oil–water mixture with >97% separation efficiency. Extensive in vitro studies using the anticancer drug doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX), fluoroquinolone antibiotic norfloxacin, and a biomolecule vitamin B12 were conducted to evaluate the release profile of the organogels, aiming to assess their potential for versatile biomedical applications in drug delivery systems in acidic pH.