Medicinal applications of cyclodextrins.

Some cyclodextrins are produced industrially, and available in pharmaceutical quality, at reasonable prices. Their medicinal use means mainly--but not exclusively--the complexation of problematic drugs (poorly soluble, unstable, irritating, difficult to formulate substances). The CD complexation generally results in improved wettability, dissolution, and solubility; improved stability; reduced side effects; or in mildering of other undesired properties (e.g., bitter tastes, bad smells). CDs can be used advantageously practically in any drug forms: oral, rectal, pulmonary, external, ocular, etc. formulations. In oral solid and liquid formulations the chemical and physical stability and bioavailability, but particularly the role of absorption is improved. With appropriate highly soluble chemically modified CDs aqueous parenteral formulations can be prepared from poorly soluble drugs. Using CDs the transdermal penetration or nasal absorption of such drugs becomes possible, which earlier could not be administered through these ways. The direct therapeutic effects of CDs (or their derivatives) are demonstrated in several examples as well as the use of beta CD as vehicle in tabletting.