Para-sulfocalix[n]arenes are promising host molecules that can accommodate various chemotherapeutic drugs. Pt(IV)-based complexes, including satraplatin and asplatin, are promising alternatives that overcome the shortcomings of Pt(II) complexes. In this study, asplatin has been synthesized by fusing acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) and cisplatin. Furthermore, it has been characterized using ¹H NMR, mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, and UHPLC. A host-guest complex of asplatin and p-sulfocalix[4]arene (PSC4) has been developed and characterized using UV, Job’s plot analysis, HPLC, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The experimental and computational investigations propose that a 1:1 complex between asplatin and PSC4 is formed. The stability constant of the designed complex has been determined using Job’s plot and UHPLC and computed to be 9.1 × 10⁴ M^–1 and 8.7 × 10⁴ M⁻¹, which corresponds to a free energy of complexation of −6.8 kcal mol^–1, while the calculated value for the inclusion free energy is −13.2 kcal mol⁻¹. Both experimentally and theoretically estimated complexation free energy show that a stable host-guest complex can be formed in solution. The in vitro drug release study displayed the ability of the complex to release its cargo at a cancerous pH (pH of 5.5). Additionally, the asplatin/PSC4 complex is shown to be biocompatible when tested on human skin fibroblast noncancerous cells, demonstrating the highest in vitro cytotoxic activity against (MCF-7), cervical (HeLa), and lung cancer cells (A-549), with IC₅₀ values of 0.75, 2.15, and 3.60 µg/mL, respectively. This is as compared to either cisplatin (IC₅₀ of 5.47, 5.94 and 9.61 µg/mL, respectively) or asplatin (IC₅₀ of 1.54, 5.05 and 3.91 µg/mL, respectively). On the other hand, the free asplatin exhibited higher cytotoxicity on cancerous cells and lower toxicity on noncancerous cells. The outcomes of the present joint theoretical and experimental investigation reinforce the interest in platinum-based anticancer therapeutics when they are protected from undesired interactions and suggest the use of the PSC4 macromolecule as a promising carrier for Pt(IV) anticancer drugs. The formed asplatin/PSC4 inclusion complex may represent an effective chemotherapeutic agent.

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of anaerobic digestion (AD) in the co-digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and municipal dehydrated sewage sludge (DSS). The experiments were conducted in batch and continuous mode under mesophilic conditions (T = 37 ± 2 °C). The results of batch tests indicated that the use of DSS in co-digestion with OFMSW led to a biomethane production of 422 NmL_CH4/g_VS with a production yield of 450 NmL_CH4/g_VSremoved. Nevertheless, the findings of the tests conducted with OFMSW alone demonstrated superior performance. A pilot plant reactor with a volume of approximately 2 m³ was employed in the continuous tests. The results corroborated the trends observed in the batch tests. In particular, the specific methane production yields decreased from 0.47 Nm³/kg_VS when OFMSW was the sole substrate to 0.44 Nm³/kg_VS when DSS was introduced, with a DSS/OFMSW ratio (R_DO) of 0.1. Despite the reduction in methane production yield observed in both batch and continuous tests, a techno-economic assessment of the process indicated the potential profitability of DSS in co-digestion with OFMSW. Notably, the estimated profit from utilizing DSS in a percentage of 10% (R_DO = 0.1) is 108 EUR/ton, compared to 102 EUR/ton when only OFMSW is employed.