Preparation and characterization of β-cyclodextrin nanosponges and study on enhancing the solubility of insoluble nicosulfuron

Abstract

Nicosulfuron (NSF) is a water-insoluble and unstable sulfonylurea herbicide, which is mainly used in the treatment of stems and leaves after the corn seedling stage. Nanosponges (NS) have more interaction sites and higher drug encapsulation capabilities. In this paper, three kinds of β-cyclodextrin nanosponges (CDNS) were prepared by crosslinking β-cyclodextrin with diphenyl carbonate (DPC), pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and epichlorohydrin (EP), respectively. The NSF-loaded CDNS were characterized by TEM, FTIR, DSC, TGA and XRD. The solubility, stability and biological activity of NSF were studied. The results showed NSF-EP-CDNS could significantly enhance the solubility of NSF. In vitro release test, the cumulative release of NSF-EP-CDNS was 90.11%. Compared with pure NSF and NSF oil suspension, NSF-EP-CDNS had the strongest inhibitory effect on acetolactate synthase (ALS). In conclusion, CDNS have beneficial effects on the solubility, stability and biological activity of NSF.