Self-association of cyclodextrins and cyclodextrin complexes.

Cyclodextrins are useful functional excipients, which are being used in an ever-increasing way to camouflage undesirable pharmaceutical characteristics, especially poor aqueous solubility. It has generally been assumed that the mechanism whereby cyclodextrins exert their effects, especially their augmentation of solubility, is via the formation of noncovalent, dynamic inclusion complexes. This is a model, which regards drug-cyclodextrin interactions as a discrete phenomenon and ignores the possible interaction of these complexes with one another. It is becoming increasingly apparent that such assumptions may not be universally applicable or all encompassing. Specifically, there is a growing body of evidence that supports the important contribution of non-inclusion-based aspects for drug solubilization by cyclodextrins including surfactant-like effects and molecular aggregation. This short review attempts to assess the available literature for areas in which such non-inclusion mechanisms are apparent and tries to interpret these in the context of a broader working theory as to how cyclodextrins exert their beneficial effects.