Chemical conjugation with cyclodextrins as a versatile tool for drug delivery

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are a well-known family of macrocyclic oligosaccharides consisted of α -(1, 4) linked glucose subunits, and have been generally used as mimetic enzymes, chiral reagents, sensors, excipients and drug delivery carriers, due to their hydrophobic and optically active interiors. A more recent interest focuses on the chemical conjugation of CDs with drugs, where a drug is covalently bonded to CDs with better physicochemical properties for controlled drug delivery. This contribution outlines the potential applications of the drug-CDs conjugates in different areas of drug delivery, particularly in peptides, proteins, and nucleic acids (DNA, RNA and gene) drug delivery. Finally, the future directions of research in this field are proposed.