CD derivatives / Drug delivery / Pharma applications

Redox responsive cyclodextrin-based drug delivery systems: a special insight to glutathione responsive CD-nanosponges

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Glutathione-responsive cyclodextrin nanosponges (CDNSs) exploit intracellular redox gradients via disulfide bond cleavage, enabling selective drug release in cancerous and inflammatory tissues. Literature for this narrative review was identified through searches of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, focusing on publications from 2000 to early 2025.

This review highlights glutathione-responsive cyclodextrin nanosponges as an advanced evolution of CD-based carriers, emphasizing emerging structure – property – responsiveness relationships rather than exhaustive coverage. By discussing nanosponge architecture and cross-linking density.

Illustration of glutathione responsive β-CD nanosponges designed for anti-tumoral drug delivery, featuring a magnified view of cancer cells, a fluorescence image, and a graph showing the increased release of doxorubicin at higher glutathione concentrations over time.

Mohammadvalipour S, Islambulchilar Z, Valizadeh H, Trotta F, Khazaei Monfared Y, Mahmoudian M, Zakeri-Milani P. Redox responsive cyclodextrin-based drug delivery systems: a special insight to glutathione responsive CD-nanosponges. Expert Opin Drug Deliv. 2026 Jan 27:1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/17425247.2026.2622375.

The picture is an illustration from:
F. Trotta, F. Caldera, C. Dianzani, M. Argenziano, G. Barrera, R. Cavalli (2016) Glutathione Bioresponsive Cyclodextrin Nanosponges. ChemPlusChem 81, 439. https://doi.org/10.1002/cplu.201500531

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