First Vesicular Self-Assembly of Betulinic Acid and Its Applications.

Abstract

Betulinic acid (BA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid isolated from Ziziphus jujube, is demonstrated to undergo spontaneous vesicular self-assembly in aqueous-organic binary mixtures. This represents the first report of BA-based vesicles, with critical vesicular concentrations (CVC) of 30, 60, and 70 μM, respectively, determined in DMSO-water mixtures (1:1, 2:1, and 4:1 v/v), respectively. The morphology of the nano- to micro-scale architectures was characterized using optical microscopy, AFM, SEM, HRTEM, FTIR, and XRD. These vesicles effectively encapsulate diverse fluorophores and the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin. Controlled release studies highlight their potential for targeted drug delivery and the sequestering of toxic pollutants from waste water. Compared to free curcumin and BA alone, the curcumin-loaded BA vesicular self-assemblies showed significantly greater antimicrobial performance against both Gram-positive (S. aureus) and Gram-negative (E. coli) strains during disk diffusion assays. These findings establish betulinic acid vesicles as versatile, biobased platforms for potential therapeutic and environmental applications.

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