ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with cyclodextrins, their derivatives, and a few other chosen modified oligo- and polysaccharides as complexing agents. In pharmaceutical applications, the processing, stability, palatability, and/or bioavailability of a drug can be changed through complexing with a cyclodextrin or its derivative. Cyclodextrin complex formation is equivalent to molecular encapsulation, consequently the drug molecules are isolated from each other and are dispersed on a molecular level in an oligosaccharide matrix. Clofibrate, the drug sometimes used in the control of hyperlipoproteinema, was found to complex with cyclodextrins. The importance of the complexation of lipophilic compounds may be illustrated with vitamin A and related compounds, called retinoids. The complex formation between organic compounds may play a role not only in modifying the properties of drugs but also in the removal of toxic agents from the body. Fat soluble vitamins are unstable in the presence of light or oxygen and furthermore, some of these compounds are difficult to process into pharmaceutical preparations.
