Amphiphilic cyclodextrin nanoassemblies with targeting and tracking agents that incorporate a cationic porphyrin

Fluorescent amphiphiles based on cyclodextrins (CDs) have attracted considerable research interest for their broad applicability in therapy, diagnostics, and fluorescence sensing. Here, we propose a novel nanoassembly (MixDnsGal) composed of two amphiphilic CDs bearing dansyl (SC6Dns) and galactose (SC6Gal) units as fluorophore and receptor-targeting groups, respectively. The nanoassembly is able to incorporate the cationic porphyrin (5,10,15,20-tetrakis(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphine (H2T4) forming MixDnsGal@H2T4 nanostructures with a hydrodynamic radius of about 55 nm. The morphological characterization shows the coexistence of the two amphiphilic CD components in a single nanoassembly, with the cationic porphyrin incorporated into their amphiphilic tails. This evidence paves the way for use in drug delivery, especially in photodynamic therapy applications.