Synthesis and Self-Assembly Studies of Reusable Cholesterol-Based Amphiphiles in Wastewater Treatment and Drug Delivery

Abstract

Abstract Glycine, alanine, and serine are three different amino acids that were used as structural building blocks to synthesize three different cholesterol-based amphiphiles (CAPs). Their gelation behavior was systematically examined in binary solvent systems using a wide range of methods, such as UV–vis spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, rheological measurements, SEM, and XRD. It is interesting to note that all composites showed outstanding adsorption behavior toward water-soluble dyes. The CSAP gel matrix achieved a maximum dye adsorption capacity of approximately 272 mg/g for the calcein dye in aqueous solution. The dye separation study indicates that recyclable CAP amphiphiles are effective adsorbents for large-scale environmental remediation. Additionally, the fabricated matrix demonstrates potential for separating oil from an oil–water mixture with >97% separation efficiency. Extensive in vitro studies using the anticancer drug doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX), fluoroquinolone antibiotic norfloxacin, and a biomolecule vitamin B12 were conducted to evaluate the release profile of the organogels, aiming to assess their potential for versatile biomedical applications in drug delivery systems in acidic pH.