Posted by In this collaborative teamwork, the cyclodextrins (CDs) are reviewed as important building blocks for polymeric systems in biomedical and environmental applications.
The review provides 205 references and a comprehensive reporting of grafted CDs into polysaccharides, focusing on their unique structural and physicochemical characteristics which offer a large diversity of derivatisation and enhancement of their host-guest inclusion abilities toward various hydrophobic molecules. The polymeric hybrid systems combine the molecular recognition of CDs with the structural stability and versatility of polysaccharides, yielding advanced materials important for biomedical and environmental applications.
The chemical methodologies applied for the derivatisation of CDs are described including important information on their degree of substitution and general advantages with respect to the native CDs. An overview of the design strategies and relative polymeric architectures containing CD units, introduces then the CDs grafted onto polysaccharides systems such as alginate, chitosan cellulose, hyaluonic acid, starch, with a very detailed reporting on composition, chemical modification, applications and their special properties. The review is concluding with an exhaustive reporting on the biomedical and environmental applications of these hybrid systems. While they are used/proposed in the pharmaceutical field as advanced drug delivery platforms for improving the bioavailability and stability of hydrophobic therapeutic agents, they demonstrate in the environmental sector, exceptional efficiency in wastewater treatment, acting as potent sorbents for the removal of organic pollutants and heavy metals. Overall, the review highlights the ability of CDs to optimise performance and expand their potential as sustainable solution to biomedical and environmental applications.
Lacolla, E.; Ciarlantini, C.; Francolini, I.; Dossi, E.; Piozzi, A. Cyclodextrin-Grafted Polysaccharides as Sustainable Platforms for Biomedical and Environmental Applications. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27, 6566. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27156566