Formation of cooperative amidoaminocalixresorcinarene – methotrexate nanosized aggregates in an aqueous solution and on the surface of gold nanoparticles

Abstract

Cooperative nanoscale associates of amido(dimethylamino) calixresorcinarenes with pentyl (C5) and undecyl (C11) substituents on lower rim with antitumor drug-methotrexate (MTX) in aqueous solution and on the surface of gold nanoparticles C5@Au and C11@Au were formed. The formation of nanoparticles was investigated by ¹H NMR, NMR FT-PGSE, 2D NOESY, DLS, TEM, spectrophotometry, fluorimetry. It was found that during the interaction of C5 or C11 macrocycles with MTX in aqueous solution, the latter generates dissociation of macrocycles self-associates with formation of cooperative macrocycle–MTX associates of smaller size due to multiple non-covalent interactions, which leads to increase in fluorescence intensity of MTX. In contrast, binding of MTX by macrocyclic associates preorganized as bilayer on surface of gold nanoparticles through electrostatic interactions induces aggregation of C5@Au-MTX or C11@Au-MTX associates, which results in quenching of MTX fluorescence in solution. Such particles have possible potential in the field of binding and delivery of antitumor drugs.

Keywords:

• Calixresorcinarene
• supramolecular aggregates
• gold nanoparticles
• methotrexate