Abstract
Cyclodextrin-based nanosponges, which are proposed as a new nanosized delivery system, are innovative cross-linked cyclodextrin polymers nanostructured within a three-dimensional network. This type of cyclodextrin polymer can form porous insoluble nanoparticles with a crystalline or amorphous structure and spherical shape or swelling properties. The polarity and dimension of the polymer mesh can be easily tuned by varying the type of cross-linker and degree of cross-linking. Nanosponge functionalisation for site-specific targeting can be achieved by conjugating various ligands on their surface. They are a safe and biodegradable material with negligible toxicity on cell cultures and are well-tolerated after injection in mice. Cyclodextrin-based nanosponges can form complexes with different types of lipophilic or hydrophilic molecules. The release of the entrapped molecules can be varied by modifying the structure to achieve prolonged release kinetics or a faster release. The nanosponges could be used to improve the aqueous solubility of poorly water-soluble molecules, protect degradable substances, obtain sustained delivery systems or design innovative drug carriers for nanomedicine.
Highlights
They have a characteristic toroidal shape, which forms a welldefined truncated cone-shaped lipophilic cavity
Insoluble crosslinked cyclodextrin polymers were first reported a long time ago, by reacting the parent cyclodextrin with dialdehydes, epoxides, epichlorohydrin, diacyl chlorides, etc., the term cyclodextrin nanosponges were first used by DeQuan Li and Min Ma in 1998 [11] to indicate a cross-linked β-cyclodextrin with organic diisocyanates leading to an insoluble network that showed a very high inclusion constant with several organic pollutants
No other applications were claimed or proposed. It was not until the work performed by Trotta and co-workers [13] and the syntheses of new kinds of cyclodextrin nanosponges that they revealed their full potential in other fields, as drug carriers
Summary
University of Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 7 10125 Torino, Italy and 2Dipartimento di Scienza e Tecnologia del Farmaco. University of Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 9 10125 Torino, Italy. This article is part of the Thematic Series "Superstructures with cyclodextrins: Chemistry and applications"
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