Merck, C4555-10G, Methyl-β-cyclodextrin

Methyl-β-cyclodextrin is a heptasaccharide, soluble in water, and has more affinity to cholesterol due to the presence of hydrophobic core. Cyclodextrins are cyclic oligosaccharides consisting of 6, 7, or 8 glucopyranose units, usually referred to as α-, β-, or γ-cyclodextrins, respectively. These compounds have rigid doughnut-shaped structures making them natural complexing agents. The unique structures of these compounds owe their stability to intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the C2- and C3-hydroxyl groups of neighboring glucopyranose units. The molecule takes on the shape of a torus with the C2- and C3-hydroxyls located around the larger opening and the more reactive C6-hydroxyl aligned around the smaller opening. The arrangement of C6-hydroxyls opposite the hydrogen bonded C2- and C3-hydroxyls forces the oxygen bonds into close proximity within the cavity, leading to an electron rich, hydrophobic interior. The size of this hydrophobic cavity is a function of the number of glucopyranose units forming the cyclodextrin. The solubility of natural cyclodextrins is very poor. In the late 1960′s, it was discovered that chemical substitutions at the 2, 3, and 6 hydroxyl sites would greatly increase solubility. Most chemically modified cyclodextrins are able to achieve a 50% (w/v) concentration in water.