In the formulation of efficient drug delivery systems,
it is essential
to unravel the structural and dynamical aspects of the drug’s
interaction with biological membranes. This has been done for the
anticancer drug–membrane system comprising doxorubicin hydrochloride
(DOX), a water-soluble anticancer drug, and the micellar sodium dodecyl
sulfate (SDS), the latter serving as a useful mimic for membrane proteins.
Using a multimodal NMR approach involving 1H, 2H, and 13C as probe nuclei and through the determination
of chemical shifts, spin-relaxation, nuclear Overhauser enhancements
(NOE), and translational self-diffusion (SD), the binding characteristics
of the DOX with SDS have been determined. The perturbation to 13C chemical shifts of SDS indicate the penetration of DOX
into the SDS micelle, which is further revealed by 1H–1H NOESY and SD measurements. 2H spin-relaxation
measurements and their analysis using a two-step model show DOX induced
SDS micellar volume changes, which determine the correlation times
involved in the DOX–SDS mobility.