Pillar[5]arene-functionalized nanochannel platform for detecting chiral drugs

ABSTRACT Chirality is a fascinating and essential feature of life and highly associated with many significant pharmaceutical, chemical, and biological processes. The construction of chiral recognition platform is a hot research topic and challenging assignment. Herein, we report an electrochemical method by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) for the enantioselective recognition of chiral drug propranolol (R/S-PPL) through a nanochannel platform based on the N-acetyl-L-cysteine functionalized pillar[5]arenes derivative NALC-P5 and the porous polycarbonate membrane. The chiral discrimination depends on the difference in the supramolecular host-guest interaction between the chiral NALC-P5 and the R/S-PPL. The transmission rate of the R/S-PPL can be regulated in the nanochannel and we can achieve the selective transport of the chiral drugs. This simple electrochemical technique has potential applications as a general platform for the recognition of chiral molecules.