Cyclodextrins are cyclic oligosaccharides that have been recognized as pharmaceutical adjuvants for the past 20 years. The molecular structure of these glucose derivatives, which approximates a truncated cone, bucket, or torus, generates a hydrophilic exterior surface and a nonpolar interior cavity.
Cyclodextrins can interact with appropriately sized drug molecules to yield an inclusion complex. These noncovalent inclusion complexes offer a variety of advantages over the noncomplexed form of a drug. Cyclodextrins are primarily used to enhance the aqueous solubility, physical chemical stability, and
bioavailability of drugs. Their other applications include preventing drug–drug interactions, converting liquid drugs into microcrystalline powders, minimizing gastrointestinal and ocular irritation, and reducing or eliminating unpleasant taste and smell. Here, we discuss the physical chemical properties of various cyclodextrins, including the effects of substitutions on these properties. Additionally, we report on the regulatory status of their use, commercial products containing cyclodextrins, toxicological considerations, and the forces involved in complex formation. We also highlight the types of complex formed and discuss the methods used to determine the types of complex present.