Glyconanocavities: Cyclodextrins and beyond

Cyclodextrins (CDs) represent a unique example of complementarity between nanotechnology and biotechnology. Their molecular nanocavity character and the possibility of selective functionalization offer an excellent opportunity for chemical elaboration of unique nanostructures in a three-dimensional network. Several approaches from our laboratories, aimed at endowing CDs with biorecognition properties by incorporation of saccharide ligands, are discussed. Applications range from site-specific drug delivery systems to more fundamental studies on carbohydrate-protein interactions. Results on the de novo synthesis of a new family of glyconanocavities constructed from alpha,alpha-trehalose building blocks, namely cyclotrehalans (CTs), and on their complexing properties are also presented.