Loading of atorvastatin and linezolid in β-cyclodextrin–conjugated cadmium selenide/silica nanoparticles: A spectroscopic study

The preparation of β–cyclodextrin–conjugated cadmium selenide–silica nanoparticles, the loading of two drugs viz., Atorvastatin and linezolid in the cyclodextrin cavity, and the fluorescence energy transfer between CdSe/SiO2 nanoparticles and the drugs encapsulated in the cyclodextrin cavity are reported in this paper. IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, transmission electron microscopy, and particle size analysis by light–scattering experiment were used as the tools of characterizing the size and the crystal system of the nanoparticles. The nanoparticles fall under hexagonal system. The silica–shell containing CdSe nanoparticles were functionalized by reaction with aminoethylamino–β–cyclodextrin. Fluorescence spectra of the nanoparticles in their free and drug–encapsulated forms were studied. The FÖrster distances between the encapsulated drugs and the CdSe nanoparticles are below 3nm. The change in the FÖrster resonance energy parameters under physiological conditions may aid in tracking the release of drugs from the cavity of the cyclodextrin. [Display omitted] •CdSe/SiO2 nanoparticles of crystallite size 15nm are prepared.•β-Cyclodextrin is attached to the surface of the nanoparticles.•Atorvastatin and linezolid get encapsulated in the cyclodextrin cavity.•FRET efficiency between the nanoparticles and the loaded drugs are determined.