Inclusion complex of berberine hydrochloride with serine-β-cyclodextrin: construction, characterization, inclusion mechanisms, and bioactivity

In our work, serine-modified β-cyclodextrin (Ser-β-CD) was synthesized and a berberine hydrochloride (BBH)/Ser-β-CD inclusion complex (IC) was prepared using the freeze-drying method. Phase solubility studies showed that BBH and Ser-β-CD formed stable inclusion complexes in a stoichiometric ratio of 1 : 1. The IC was characterized using SEM and FT-IR analyses. The results of molecular docking showed that BBH was completely contained in the Ser-β-CD cavity and the binding energy was −7.87 kcal mol⁻¹. The results of in vitro release studies indicated that BBH could be released slowly from the IC. In addition, the prepared Ser-β-CD and IC had good biocompatibility. The IC demonstrated excellent antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Therefore, the BBH/Ser-β-CD IC has potential application prospects in biomedicine and food industry.