Fundamentals and Applications of Cyclodextrins
Résumé
Cyclodextrins are natural oligosaccharides obtained from starch. They were discovered in 1891 by Villiers, and attracted major scientific and industrial interests from the late 1970s. Actually, cyclodextrins are among the most remarkable macrocyclic molecules with major theoretical and practical interest for chemistry and biology. Cyclodextrins belong to the family of cage molecules due to their structure, which is composed of a hydrophobic cavity that can encapsulate other molecules. Indeed, the most characteristic feature of cyclodextrins is their ability to form inclusion complexes with various molecules through host-guest interactions. Cyclodextrins and their derivatives have a wide variety of practical applications including pharmacy, medicine, foods, cosmetics, toiletries, catalysis, chromatography, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and textile production. Cyclodextrins are also the object of numerous fundamental studies. Between 2011 and 2015, 18,430 cyclodextrin-related publications have been published. In this chapter, after a brief description of cyclodextrin basics, we highlight selected works on cyclodextrins published over the last 5 years by various research groups.