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The Potential of Cucurbit[ n ]urils in Drug Delivery
Author(s) -
Walker Shonagh,
Oun Rabbab,
McInnes Fiona J.,
Wheate Nial J.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
israel journal of chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.908
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1869-5868
pISSN - 0021-2148
DOI - 10.1002/ijch.201100033
Subject(s) - chemistry , drug , cucurbituril , drug delivery , pharmacology , solubility , combinatorial chemistry , context (archaeology) , stereochemistry , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , medicine , supramolecular chemistry , molecule , paleontology , materials science , biology
In this paper we review cucurbit[ n ]urils (CB[ n ]), a relatively new family of macrocycles that has shown potential in improving drug delivery. Encapsulation of drugs within the homologues CB[6], CB[7], or CB[8] can impart enhanced chemical and physical stability, improve drug solubility, and control drug release. The formulation of CB[ n ] into a dosage form suitable for clinical use is a non‐trivial task, because the free macrocycle and its host‐drug complex generally exhibit pseudo‐polymorphism in the solid state. Despite this, cucurbiturils have been included in tablets for oral delivery and inserts for nasal delivery. Here we examine the potential use of cucurbiturils in drug delivery in the context of getting a new drug into clinical trials and discuss what further research is needed in this area.