The Hemolytic Properties of Chemically Modified Cyclodextrins

Abstract

The hemolytic properties of naturalcyclodextrins, especially of the more commoncyclomaltoheptaose entity, severely hamper theirpotential use as carriers in pharmaceuticalapplications where parenteral administration isconcerned. A systematic investigation on the role ofchemical modifications with regard to the hemolyticcharacter was carried out involving C-6 branchedneutral, anionic, cationic and amphoteric derivatives.From these data, conclusions have been drawnabout the charge and the geometry of the modification: (i)Substitution at primary hydroxyl groups usuallydecreases the hemolytic character and the geometry ofthe substituent affects the hemolytic property; (ii)introduction of an amino group, resulting in apositive charge at physiological pH, decreases thehemolytic character; (iii) negative charges arecomparatively less effective in reducing the hemolyticcharacter; (iv) zwitterionic groups seem to enhancethe hemolytic character of the cyclodextrin molecule.