Cyclodextrin-Based Nanosystems: Current Status and Future Prospects

This chapter aims to define physicochemical properties and pharmaceutical applications of cyclodextrin (CD)-based nanosystems that have been investigated for diagnostics, therapeutics, and theranostics. It describes CD-based nanosized systems. CDs have attracted the interest of scientists in various sectors since the day they were discovered. CDs have been used in many different areas, thanks to their unique properties and chemical structures. CD derivatives can form inclusion complexes with very different molecules due to their different cavity diameters. Natural CDs are named according to the number of glucopyranose units present in the structures. CDs are modified by chemical methods in order to avoid the side effects, which are caused by natural CDs. Within the modified natural CDs, up to three groups are used in the pharmaceutical field: methyl CD, hydroxypropyl CD, and sulfobutyl CD. Nonionic amphiphilic CDs are obtained by attaching aliphatic chains of different lengths to the primary or secondary surface of glucopyranose units of CDs.