Cyclodextrin-based nanosponges in drug delivery and cancer therapeutics: New perspectives for old problems

Abstract In recent years, research in the field of nanotechnology and nanomedicines has become ever more predominant, and specially focuses toward tailoring and manipulating materials at nanometer level for their imperative applications in diagnosis, imaging as well as treatment of wide range of diseases. Cyclodextrin (CD)-based nanosponges (NSs) have recently emerged as potential front-runners in the field of nanotechnology, and have received important relevance in agro science, pharmaceutical, biomedical, and biotechnological applications. A number of NSs-based drug delivery systems with different types of CDs and crosslinkers have been developed over the past decade, depending upon the specific applications of the same. The technology has majorly contributed toward achieving foremost prerequisites such as solubility, stability, sustained release, enhancement of permeability and bioavailability, improved activity and also aided in enabling proteins and peptides delivery, stimuli-sensitive drug release and ocular delivery, etc. The extent of research in developing NSs-based drug delivery systems has turn out to be exhilarating and demanding; chiefly to master the countless hurdles associated with existing anticancer formulations, and also for further advancements in cancer therapies. The present chapter captures and structures a comprehensive outlook of the state-of-art of NS technology aided cancer therapeutics that have been revealed till date. By describing numerous attempts made in this direction, efforts have been made to illustrate the suitability and versatility of CD-based NSs for their propitious applications in cancer therapy. This writing will also render an ideal stage for formulation scientists, biologists, and cancer scientists, for understanding the current trends and progress of CD-based NSs in drug delivery and cancer therapeutics.