Intermolecular Interactions between Doxorubicin and β-Cyclodextrin 4-Methoxyphenol Conjugates

Newly synthesized derivatives of beta-cyclodextrin, mono(6-deoxy-6-(1-1,2,3-triazo-4-yl)-1-propane-3-O-(4-methoxyphenyl))beta-cyclodextrin (1) and mono(6-deoxy-6thio-(1-propane-3-O-(4-methoxypheny1)))beta-cyclodextrin (2) were designed to be receptors of the anticancer drug doxorubicin, which could potentially decrease the adverse effects of the drug during treatment. In both aqueous and aqueous dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solutions, doxorubicin forms an inclusion complex with the new cyclodextrin derivatives with formation constants of K-s = 2.3 x 10(4) and K-s = 3.2 x 10(5) M-1 for cyclodextrins 1 and 2, respectively. The stabilities of the complexes are 2-3 orders of magnitude greater than those with native beta-cyclodextrin, and the flexibility of the linker of the side group of the cyclodextrins contributes to this stability. In a hydrogenbond-accepting solvent, such as pure DMSO, an association that includes hydrogen bonding and chloride ions is favored over the binding of doxorubicin in the cavity of the cyclodextrin derivative. This contrasts with an aqueous medium in which a strong inclusion complex is formed. Cyclic voltammetry, UV-vis, H-1 NMR, and molecular modeling studies of solutions in DMSO and of solutions in water/DMSO demonstrated that the two different modes of intermolecular interaction between doxorubicin and the cyclodextrin derivative depended on the solvent system being utilized.