Ciprofloxacin carrier systems based on hectorite/halloysite hybrid hydrogels for potential wound healing applications

The design of multifunctional nanomaterials which can help the healing processes of skin, preventing the bacterial infections, is crucial for the development of suitable therapy for the treatment of chronic lesions. The use of clay minerals in wound healing applications is well documented since the prehistoric period and offers several advantages due to their intrinsic properties. Herein, we report the development of ciprofloxacin carrier systems based on hectorite/halloysite (Ht/Hal) hybrid hydrogels for potential wound healing applications. To achieve this objective firstly the ciprofloxacin molecules were loaded onto Hal by a supramolecular and covalent approach. The so obtained fillers …

Pharmaceutical properties of supramolecular assembly of co-loaded cardanol/triazole-halloysite systems

Halloysite nanotubes were explored as drug carrier for cardanol, which is considered as a promising natural anticancer active species. To this aim, besides the pristine nanoclay, a chemical modification of the nanocarrier was performed by attaching triazolium salts with different hydrophobicity at the outer surface of the hollow nanotubes. The interaction between cardanol and nanotubes was highlighted in solution by HPLC. This method proved the loading of the drug into the nanotubes. The solid dried complexes formed by pristine and modified halloysite with the cardanol were characterized by IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis as well as water contact angle to evidence the structure,…

Synthesis and Characterization of Halloysite-Cyclodextrin Nanosponges for Enhanced Dyes Adsorption

Inorganic-organic nanosponge hybrids based on halloysite clay and organic cyclodextrin derivatives (HNT-CDs) were developed by means of microwave irradiations in solvent-free conditions. The HNT-CDs nanomaterials characterized by FT-IR, TGA, BET, TEM, SEM, DLS, and zeta-potential have showed a hyper-reticulated network which possesses both HNT and cyclodextrin peculiarities. The new HNT-CDs nanosponge hybrids were employed as nanoadsorbents, first choosing Rhodamine B as the dye model, and furthermore for the removal of some cationic and anionic dyes, under different pH values (1.0, 4.54, and 7.4). The collected results showed that the pH solution as well as the electrostatic interactions a…

On the application of the extended Fujita-Nishioka equation to polysubstitued system. A kinetic study of the rearrangement of several poly-substitued Z-arylhydrazones of 3-benzoyl-5-phenyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole into 2-aryl-4-benzoylamino-5-phenyl-1,2,3-triazoles in dioxane/water

Abstract The rearrangement rates of several di-, tri-, tetra- or penta-substituted Z -arylhydrazones of 3-benzoyl-5-phenyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole ( 1a – 18a ) into the relevant 2-aryl-4-benzoylamino-5-phenyl-1,2,3-triazoles ( 1b – 18b ) have been determined in 1:1 (v:v) dioxane/water in a wide range of p S + (3.80–12.50) at different temperatures. The kinetic data obtained have been correlated with those previously collected for the rearrangement of ortho -, meta - and para -substituted Z -arylhydrazones ( 19a – 38a ) by means of an extension of the linear free-energy relationship (LFER) proposed by Fujita and Nishioka, thus considering steric ( E s ) and field ( F o ) proximity effects in additi…

Direct chemical grafted curcumin on halloysite nanotubes as dual-responsive prodrug for pharmacological applications

Covalently functionalized halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were successfully employed as dual-responsive nanocarriers for curcumin (Cur). Particularly, we synthesized HNT-Cur prodrug with a controlled curcumin release on dependence of both intracellular glutathione (GSH) and pH conditions. In order to obtain HNT-Cur produgs, halloysite was firstly functionalized with cysteamine through disulphide linkage. Afterwards, curcumin molecules were chemically conjugated to the amino end groups of halloysite via Schiff's base formation. The successful functionalization of halloysite was proved by thermogravimetric analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy. Ex…

A synergic nanoantioxidant based on covalently modified halloysite–trolox nanotubes with intra-lumen loaded quercetin

We describe the preparation and properties of the first example of a synergic nanoantioxidant, obtained by different functionalizations of the external surface and the inner lumen of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). Trolox, a mimic of natural α-tocopherol, was selectively grafted on the HNT external surface; while quercetin, a natural polyphenolic antioxidant, was loaded into the inner lumen to afford a bi-functional nanoantioxidant, HNT–Trolox/Que, which was investigated for its reactivity with transient peroxyl radicals and a persistent 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH˙) radical in comparison with the corresponding mono-functional analogues HNT–Trolox and HNT/Que. Both HNT–Trolox and HNT/Q…

Palladium nanoparticles immobilized on halloysite nanotubes covered by a multilayer network for catalytic applications

The synthesis of pure fine chemicals for industrial purposes is one of the most attractive challenges of chemical research. The use of catalytic pathways mediated by palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) for C-C bond formation is a useful way to obtain these kinds of compounds. To achieve this objective, the PdNPs can be efficiently loaded on a functionalized natural nanostructured support such as halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). Hybrid materials based on thiol functionalized halloysite nanotubes and highly cross-linked imidazolium salts were successfully developed and used for the stabilization of PdNPs. The HNT/Pd hybrids were thoroughly characterized from a physico-chemical point of view and teste…

Photoluminescent hybrid nanomaterials from modified halloysite nanotubes

The synthesis of photoluminescent nanomaterials based on halloysite nanotubes is described. The obtained hybrid was characterized by means of TGA, FT-IR, DLS and XPS measurements; in addition its morphology was imaged by TEM and HR-TEM. The HNT hybrid also exhibited photoluminescent properties, both in solution and in the solid state, and white-light emission (0.24, 0.36; CIE coordinates) was observed. This work could be pioneering as a new strategy for manufacturing both LEDs and fluorescent tags based on HNT nanomaterials. © 2018 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Substituent effects on the mechanism changeover in a multipathway reaction: A model for the behavior of biological systems?

By studying the rearrangement in dioxane/water of a series of (Z)-arylhydrazones of 5-amino-3- benzoyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole (1a-k) into the relevant (2-aryl-5-phenyl-2H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)ureas (2a-k) in a wide range of pS + (an operational scale of proton concentration in the mixed solvent used; dioxane/water, 1:1, v:v), the occurrence of three different reaction pathways (specific-acid- catalyzed, uncatalyzed, and general-base-catalyzed) for the relevant SNi process has been recently enlightened. The significantly different substituent effects on the three pathways cause some crossovers in the log kA,R versus pS + plots. Both the pS + value at which the crossover occurs and the width of the u…

Micellization properties of cardanol as a renewable co-surfactant

With the aim to improve the features of surfactant solutions in terms of sustainability and renewability we propose the use of hydrogenated natural and sustainable plant-derived cardanol as an additive to com- mercial surfactants. In the present study we demonstrated that its addition, in amounts as high as 10%, to commercial surfactants of different charge does not significantly affect surfactant properties. Conversely, the presence of hydrogenated cardanol can strongly affect spectrophotometric determination of CMC if preferential interactions with the dyes used take place. This latter evidence may be profitably exploited in surfactant manufacturing by considering that the concurrent pres…

Mononuclear rearrangement of heterocycles in zwitterionic micelles of amine oxide surfactants.

Abstract Rate constants for the mononuclear rearrangement (MRH) of Z -phenylhydrazones of some 5-substituted-3-benzoyl-1,2,4-oxadiazoles in water have been measured in the presence of zwitterionic micelles. The use of micellized N -tetradecyl- N , N -dimethylamineoxide (C 14 DMAO) as the reaction medium allowed to solubilize the otherwise water-insoluble oxadiazoles. Micellar rate effects were analyzed by using a simple pseudo-phase model and compared with those obtained in non-ionic micelles (Triton X-100). Evidence that both the rate of the rearrangement reaction and the binding of the substrates to the micelles are mainly governed by substrate hydrophobicity is obtained. The disagreement…

Nanosponges for the protection and release of the natural phenolic antioxidants quercetin, curcumin and phenethyl caffeate

The inclusion of polyphenols into nanoporous materials may significantly improve their application as radical trapping agents for therapeutic purposes. In the present work, nanosponges based on hypercross- linked cyclodextrins and calixarenes (NS1–NS3) were used as carriers of three natural phenolic antioxidants: quercetin (Que), curcumin (Cur) and phenethyl caffeate (Phec). Good w/w loadings, namely 7.3% for the Que–NS1 composite, 17.3% for Cur–NS2 and 12.9% for Phec–NS3, were achieved. The release kinetics and the inhibition rate constants (kinh) of the reaction with alkylperoxyl radicals (ROO.) in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solutions at pH 7.4 were studied and indicated better antioxidant ac…

Mononuclear rearrangements of heterocycles in water/β-CD: information on the real site of reaction from structural modifications of substrates and from proton concentration dependence of the reactivity

Abstract The effect of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) on the reactivity in the base-catalyzed pathway for the rearrangement in water of some ( Z )-hydrazones of 3-benzoyl-1,2,4-oxadiazoles ( 1b – f ) into the relevant triazoles ( 2b – f ) was investigated, finding different behavior as a function of the proton concentration. ESIMS and 1 H NMR data evidence the formation of host – guest complexes. The whole of the experimental and calculated (MM2) data enabled us to draw some intriguing conclusions concerning the influence of the structures of the substrates and the nature of the formed host – guest complexes on the real site of the reaction.

Halloysite nanotubes for efficient loading, stabilization and controlled release of insulin

Hypothesis: Oral insulin administration is not actually effective due to insulin rapid degradation, inactivation and digestion by proteolytic enzymes which results in low bioavailability. Moreover insulin is poorly permeable and lack of lipophilicity. These limits can be overcome by the loading of protein in some nanostructured carrier such as halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). Experiments: Herein we propose an easy strategy to obtain HNT hybrid materials for the delivery of insulin. We report a detailed description on the thermal behavior and stability of insulin loaded and released from the HNTs hybrid by the combination of several techniques. Findings: Release experiments of insulin from the H…

On the behaviour of the (Z)-Phenylhydrazones of some 5-alkyl-3-benzoyl-1,2,4-oxadiazoles in solution and in the gas phase: kinetic and spectrometric evidence in favour of self-assembly

Abstract Rate constants, k A,R , for the rearrangement of the ( Z )-phenylhydrazones ( 1a – e ) of a series of 5-alkyl-3-benzoyl-1,2,4-oxadiazoles substituted at C(5) with linear alkyl chains of different length (from C 4 up to C 12 ) into the relevant 4-acylamino-2,5-diphenyl-1,2,3-triazoles ( 2a – e ) have been measured in dioxan/water in the base-catalyzed region (pS + 10.5–12.6). For each substrate log  k A,R are linearly related to pS + . The significant decrease of the slopes of these straight lines (from 0.96 down to 0.78) upon increasing the length of the linear alkyl chain at C(5) and that of the reactivity (down to 14–26%) upon increasing the substrate concentration suggest a decr…

Isomerization and rearrangement of (E)- and (Z)-phenylhydrazones of 3-benzoyl-5-phenyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole: evidence for a “new” type of acid-catalysis by copper(II) salts in mononuclear rearrangement of heterocycles

A kinetic investigation in methanol of the title reaction has evidenced the occurrence of two processes: the 1-E1-Z isomerization and the rearrangement of the (Z)-isomer into the relevant 4-benzoylamino-2,5-diphenyl-1,2,3-triazole (1-Z  T). The latter reaction is in line with the ability of the (Z)-phenylhydrazones of 3-benzoyl-1,2,4-oxadiazoles to undergo the so called mononuclear rearrangement of heterocycles (MRH). The occurrence of both the examined reactions is dependent on a Lewis-acid-catalysis. The obtained results have shown the possibility of a ‘new’ type of acid-catalysis (bifunctional catalysis by Lewis salts) in the MRH. This catalysis operates through a completely different me…

Gold nanoparticles stabilized by modified halloysite nanotubes for catalytic applications

Host−Guest Interactions between β-Cyclodextrin and the (Z)-Phenylhydrazone of 3-Benzoyl-5-phenyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole:  The First Kinetic Study of a Ring−Ring Interconversion in a “Confined Environment”

The effect of beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) on the mononuclear heterocyclic rearrangement of the (Z)-phenylhydrazone of 3-benzoyl-5-phenyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole (1) in aqueous borate buffer at pH = 9.6 has been analyzed at temperatures ranging from 293.15 to 313.15 K. The trend of the absorption spectra of 1 as a function of time has been accounted for with the formation of two different 1:1 complexes between beta-CD and 1, the first, "unreactive" complex being formed faster than the "reactive" one. The occurrence of negative activation enthalpy values for the studied interconversion evidences the kinetic relevance of inclusion processes. Computational models elaborated using the MM2 molecular mec…

Microwave-assisted synthesis of novel cyclodextrin–cucurbituril complexes

Microwave irradiation was successfully used in order to obtain stable supramolecular aggregates between cyclodextrins and cucurbiturils, without the participation of any long-chain common ‘molecular thread’ guest. These aggregates were characterised by means of various different techniques, namely NMR, thermogravimetry, polarimetry and ESI-MS. Cross-analysis of experimental data allowed us to obtain insights on the stoichiometries of the composites and their thermal stabilities. The possible structures of the composites are briefly discussed, as well as the actual nature of their intrinsic stability.

Gold nanoparticles stabilized by modified halloysite nanotubes for catalytic applications

A highly sustainable prototype of a flow system based on gold nanoparticles (4.2 nm) supported on thiol-functionalized halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) was developed for catalytic applications. The catalytic performances were evaluated using the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol as a model system. Under the best experimental conditions (0.0001 mol%, 1.97 × 10−8 mg of Au nanoparticles), an impressive apparent turnover frequency value up to 2 204 530 h−1 was achieved and the halloysite-based catalyst showed full recyclability even after ten cycles. The high catalytic activity confirms the importance of the use of HNTs as support for Au nanoparticles that can exert a synergistic effect bo…