No abstract

Cationic amphiphilic beta-cyclodextrins, substituted with hydrophobic n-alkylthio chains at the primary hydroxyl side and hydrophilic omega-amino-oligo(ethylene glycol) units at the secondary side, form bilayer vesicles with a diameter of 30-35 nm (when alkyl = hexadecyl) or nanoparticles with a diameter of ca. 120 nm (when alkyl = hexyl) in water.

Novel amphiphilic cyclodextrins were synthesised by grafting oligo(ethylene glycol) units onto the secondary side of heptakis(6-alkylthio-6-deoxy)-β-cyclodextrins (alkyl = ethyl, hexyl, dodecyl and hexadecyl). The oligo(ethylene glycol) substituents were introduced by reaction of heptakis(6-alkylthio-6-deoxy)-β-cyclodextrins with ethylene carbonate in the presence of potassium carbonate at elevated temperatures. The resulting oligo(ethylene glycol)-cyclodextrin conjugates were characterised by 1 H NMR and 13 C NMR, COSY and HSQC spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. Addition of