Methyl beta cyclodextrin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Methyl-β-cyclodextrin
[edit] Structure
Cyclodextrins make up a family of cyclic oligosaccharides. They are cyclic oligomers of glucose that have the capacity to sequester lipophiles in their hydrophobic core. The interior of the toroid is not hydrophobic, but considerably less hydrophilic than the aqueous environment and thus able to host other hydrophobic molecules. On the contrary the exterior is sufficiently hydrophilic to impart cyclodextrins (or their complexes) water solubility. Methyl-β-cyclodextrin is a seven-membered ring molecule.
[edit] Uses
Methyl-β-cyclodextrin are able to form host-guest complexes with hydrophobic molecules given the unique nature imparted by their structure. Both β-cyclodextrin and MβCD remove cholesterol from cultured cells. The methylated form MβCD was found to be more efficient than β-cyclodextrin. The water-soluble MβCD is known to form soluble inclusion complexes with cholesterol, thereby enhancing its solubility in aqueous solution.
As a result these molecules have found a number of applications in a wide range of fields. Methyl-β-cyclodextrin are employed for the preparation of cholesterol-free products: the bulky and hydrophobic cholesterol molecule is easily lodged inside cyclodextrin rings that are then removed. It is also employed to disrupt lipid rafts by removing the cholesterol from the membrane in research.
