Metallocyclodextrins in medicinal chemistry
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Updated: Feb 14, 2026

Synthesis of Protein Bioconjugates via Cysteine-maleimide Chemistry
Published on: July 20, 2016
Valentina Oliveri1, Graziella Vecchio1
1Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Catania, Viale A Doria, 6, 95125 Catania, Italy.
Abstract:
This review focuses on metal complexes of cyclodextrin (CyD) derivatives designed for application as therapeutics or diagnostics. We discuss examples of metalloprotein models (hemoglobin, superoxide dismutase and catalase) based on cyclodextrins. The hydrophobic microenvironment of CyDs stabilizes the Fe(II) porphyrin system that can reversibly bind O2 or CO in water. Superoxide dismutase/catalase mimetics exploit functionalization with CyDs, which increase their solubility and biological activity. Furthermore, CyDs have been used as scaffolds to obtain multicenter metal complexes: paramagnetic systems act as high-performance contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging applications. Finally, we review CyD ligands, whose use appears promising in metal chelation therapy, as CyD moiety confers additional properties to the ligands.
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