Enhancing bio-availability of ß-naphthoflavone by supramolecular complexation with 6,6'-thiobis(methylene)-ß-cyclodextrin dimer.

ABSTRACT

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand activated transcriptional regulator, which governs key biological processes including detoxification of carcinogens. ß-Naphthoflavone (ß-NF) is a non-toxic flavonoid, and a potent AhR agonist. Thus, ß-NF can induce the representative detoxifying enzyme cytochrome P4501A1, thereby enhancing the detoxification potential. However, its low water solubility hampers the use. We found that supramolecular complexation of ß-NF with the synthetic 6,6'-thiobis(methylene)-ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD-S) dimer significantly enhanced ß-NF's role as an AhR agonist. The water solubility of ß-NF was increased to 469 fold by effective supramolecular complexation with the ß-CD-S dimer, and caused significant induction of cytochrome P4501A1. Stable formation of the supramolecular complex of ß-NF with ß-CD-S-dimer was verified by various analyses. In summary, supramolecular complexation of ß-NF with ß-CD-S dimer greatly enhanced bio-availability of ß-NF as an AhR agonist. Our findings provide an easy, non-destructive, and alternative approach to enhance the bio-availability of therapeutics.