Sugar-Based Surfactants with Isoprenoid-Type Hydrophobic Chains: Physicochemical and Biophysical Aspects

Sugar-based surfactants are becoming increasingly important from the ecological and industrial viewpoints. The rationale for the interest in these surfactants lies in the fact that they can be synthesized from renewable resources and are generally nontoxic and biodegradable [1]. Moreover, recent research interests are expanding toward the applications of the sugar-based surfactants in the elds of drug and gene delivery and of nanotechnology [2].