Complexation of phytochemicals with cyclodextrin derivatives - An insight

Area of Science:

• Natural Products Chemistry
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Natural compounds offer broad therapeutic potential but suffer from poor solubility and bioavailability.
• These limitations hinder their effective use in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and functional foods.
• Cyclodextrin complexation is a promising strategy to overcome these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the encapsulation of various natural compounds with cyclodextrins.
• To highlight methods, complexation ability, and impact on solubility, stability, and bioavailability.
• To examine recent patents demonstrating the significance of phytochemical-cyclodextrin complexes.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of natural compound-cyclodextrin complexation studies.
• Analysis of encapsulation techniques and their efficacy.
• Review of patent literature concerning phytochemical-cyclodextrin applications.

Main Results:

• Complexation with cyclodextrins improves aqueous solubility, stability, dissolution rate, and bioavailability of poorly soluble phytochemicals.
• Examples include flavonoids, phenolic derivatives, coumestans, and triterpenes.
• Patents show enhanced stability and solubility for curcumin, artemisinins, and dihydromyricetin complexes.

Conclusions:

• Cyclodextrin complexation is a viable strategy to enhance the delivery of natural compounds.
• Improved solubility and stability of phytochemicals benefit their application in healthcare.
• Further research and development in this area hold significant promise for novel therapeutics.