Cyclodextrins (CDs) are naturally occurring cyclic oligosaccharides bearing a basket-shaped topology with an “inner–outer” amphiphilic character. The abundance of hydroxyl groups enables CDs to be functionalized with multiple targeting ligands and imaging elements. The imaging time, and the payload of different imaging elements, can be tuned by taking advantage of the commercial availability of CDs with different sizes of the cavity. This review aims to offer an outlook of the chemistry and engineering of CDs for the development of molecular probes. Complexation thermodynamics of CDs, and the corresponding implications for probe design, are also presented with examples demonstrating the structural and physiochemical roles played by CDs in the full ambit of molecular imaging. We hope that this review not only offers a synopsis of the current development of CD-based molecular probes, but can also facilitate translation of the incremental advancements from the laboratory to real biomedical applications by illuminating opportunities and challenges for future research.

中文翻译：

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用于分子成像的环糊精的化学和工程

环糊精（CDs）是天然存在的环状低聚糖，呈篮状，具有“内外”两亲特性。丰富的羟基基团使CD可以被多个靶向配体和成像元件功能化。可以利用具有不同腔体大小的CD的商业可用性来调整成像时间和不同成像元件的有效负载。这篇综述旨在为分子探针的开发提供CD的化学和工程学的前景。CD的络合热力学，以及对探针设计的相应含义，还通过实例展示了CD在分子成像的全部领域中发挥的结构和物理化学作用。