Nanostructured calix[4]arene derivative: a promising tool for nanomedicine

For many illnesses, like cancer, infection, inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases, there is the need to develop new and more efficient therapeutic strategies to overcome the limitations and drawbacks of the conventional treatments. Nanotechnology, based on smart nanostructured systems capable of delivering drugs to the target cell, tissue or organ, as well as surpassing the biochemical and physiological barriers, can lead to a higher success of treatment at lower doses and decreased undesired side effects. In the last decades, calixarene macrocycles have attracted great attention as molecular scaffolds for the development of drug and gene delivery systems. To give a contribution in this field, we designed a polycationic choline-calix[4]arene derivative for delivering drugs to protected organs like eye and brain, which expose choline-transporters on their anatomical barriers. The potential of the micellar nanoconstruct 1 as nanocontainer and nanocarrier for natural and synthetic drugs,1-3 nanoreactor for photoactivatable drugs,4 and as a nanohydrogel-forming building block will be discussed, as well as preclinical results.