Cyclodextrin/Paclitaxel Dimer Assembling Vesicles: Reversible Morphology Transition and Cargo Delivery

Here, we developed stable supramolecular binary vesicles on the basis of the host-guest interaction between β-cyclodextrins (β-CDs) and paclitaxel (PTX) dimer. The inclusion complexation between PTX dimer and β-CDs in water was studied by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and two-dimensional rotating-frame Overhauser effect spectroscopy. The resulting inclusion complex was amphiphilic and could self-assemble into vesicles with average diameter of 230 nm. The vesicles could evolve to nanoparticles (NPs) by adding competitive binding guest amantadine hydrochloride or by digesting β-CDs through α-amylase. Moreover, this process was reversible, and the NPs could also transform to vesicles by adding enough β-CDs again. The obtained hollow supramolecular vesicles were further explored to load hydrophilic dye indocyanine green molecule or hydrophobic anticancer drug doxorobicin for their controlled release under external stimulus. This work provides a new strategy for the design of supramolecular systems by using prodrug as building blocks.