Tadpole-shaped β-cyclodextrin-tagged poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone): Synthesis, characterization and studies of its complexation with phenolphthalein and anti tumor activities

Abstract

Tadpole-shaped β-cyclodextrin-tagged poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (β-CD-PNVP) has been synthesised via the click reaction of alkyne-terminated PNVP and azide-functionalized β-CD. The formed polymer is characterized by 1H NMR, FTIR, and TGA study. The complexing ability of such a polymer with phenolphthalein is considerably lower with respect to that with β-CD alone. Doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded β-CD-PNVP (DOX-β-CD-PNVP) exhibits higher tumoricidal activity against a panel of tumor cell lines derived from sarcoma (U2-OS) and carcinomas (MCF-7 and HEPG2), causing significant lysis of tumor cells compared to free DOX. The formulation also demonstrates significantly higher uptake by the tumor cells and enhances apoptosis compared to free DOX. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.