Encapsulation of 3-hydroxyflavone in γ-cyclodextrin nanocavities: Excited state proton transfer fluorescence and molecular docking studies

Steady state and time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy have been used to explore the confinement of 3-hydroxyflavone (3HF), (a bioactive flavonol) in γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CDx) nanocavities in aqueous medium. With increasing concentrations of γ-CDx, dramatic enhancements occur in the intensity and anisotropy of the excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) tautomer fluorescence of 3HF. These observations indicate that 3HF readily enters the relatively hydrophobic cavity of γ-CDx, where the chromone ring is well shielded from external H-bonding perturbation effects, thus facilitates the ESIPT process. Additionally, appearance of induced circular dichroism (ICD) bands is noted in the absorption region of 3HF, which further confirms the inclusion process. Docking calculations suggest that hydrogen bonding interactions are involved in the formation of the inclusion complex.