Cyclodextrin-based host–guest supramolecular hydrogel and its application in biomedical fields

Abstract

The cyclodextrin (CD) based host–guest inclusion complexation between cyclodextrins (CDs) and guest moieties has inspired the fabrication of novel supramolecular hydrogels for biomedical applications. From a topology of view, this article reviews the recent developments of two kinds of CD-based supramolecular hydrogels and their applications in biomedical fields respectively. On one hand, supramolecular hydrogels derived from CD-based poly(pseudo)rotaxanes generally displayed thixotropic and reversible properties and have been extensively developed as injectable drug delivery systems. On the other hand, supramolecular hydrogels based on the host–guest interaction between CDs and small guest moieties generally exhibited stimuli-responsive behaviors, typically the release of therapeutic agents. The development of CD-based supramolecular hydrogels provides a new platform for the design of novel biomaterials.