Novel phosphorus-containing cyclodextrin polymers and their affinity for calcium cations and hydroxyapatite

Novel phosphorous-containing β-cyclodextrin (βCD) polymers (CDP) were synthesized easily under “green chemistry” conditions. A simple polycondensation between the hydroxyl groups of βCD and non-toxic sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP) under basic conditions led to soluble, non-reticulated CDPs with molecular weights (Mw) higher than 104 g mol−1, the actual value depending on the NaOH:βCD and STMP:βCD weight ratios. The presence of both βCD and phosphate groups in the polymer allows for strong interactions with amphiphilic probes, such as 1-adamantyl acetic acid, or with divalent cations, such as Ca2+, whose strengths were characterized by isothermal titration microcalorimetry. The obtained phosphated compounds also display high affinity towards hydroxyapatite (HA), leading to HA nanoparticles that could easily be recovered by CDPs, as demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy and quantitative determination of the total amount of phosphated molecules fixed on HA.