Effect of Microwave Irradiation on Arabinogalactan and Its Interaction with Betulin Diacetate

Abstract

Betulin diacetate (BDA) has a variety of biological activities, but poor solubility in water limits its application. The use of arabinogalactan (AG) as a complexing agent is a promising method for solving the problem of solubilization of drugs. In this study, effect of microwave (MW) irradiation on the properties of AG and BDA and their interaction in aqueous suspension with the formation of a water-soluble supramolecular complex was studied. It is shown that the microwave heating of AG under harsh conditions can lead to degradation of the biopolymer. The use of microwave heating could significantly reduce the complex preparation time compared to the conventional synthesis in a water bath. The preliminary mechanical treatment of the mixture of components, leading to the formation of mechanocomposites, inhibited the reaction between the components in the aqueous suspension under microwave irradiation. The IR spectroscopy method has shown that a supramolecular complex formed under microwave irradiation similar to that formed by conventional heating. The BDA-AG complex was isolated from a microwave heated solution as a thin film, which may be a promising material for pharmaceutical applications.