Thirty years with cyclodextrins

Abstract This paper reviews the work carried out on cyclodextrins during some thirty years at the Institut Galien Paris-Sud, UMR CNRS 8612, Universite Paris-Sud. It represents the normal evolution of this domain of science and the numerous possibilities of cyclodextrins for being a tool adaptable to the most complex situations. The works which have been carried out concern: the investigation of general characteristics of cyclodextrins and derivatives, the preparation and evaluation of inclusion complexes, the use of cyclodextrins in the preparation of drug delivery systems, the various possibilities offered by cyclodextrins and their derivatives for nanoparticle preparation and finally the use of cyclodextrins for the preparation of biomaterials is evoked.