Classic prodrug strategies rely on covalent modification of active drugs to provide systems with superior pharmacokinetic properties than the parent drug and facilitate administration. Supramolecular chemistry is providing a new approach to developing prodrug-like systems, wherein the characteristics of a drug are modified in a beneficial manner by creating host-guest complexes that then permit the stimulus-induced release of the active species in a controlled manner. These complexes are termed "supramolecular prodrugs". In this review, we outline the concept of supramolecular drugs via host-guest chemistry and detail progress made in the area. This summary is designed to highlight the many advantages of supramolecular prodrugs, including ease-of-preparation, molecular-level protection, sensitive response to bio-stimuli, traceless release, and adaptability to different drugs. Limitations of the approach and opportunities for future growth are also detailed.

中文翻译：

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基于宿主-客体相互作用的超分子前药。

经典的前药策略依赖于活性药物的共价修饰，以为系统提供比母体药物优越的药代动力学特性并促进给药。超分子化学为开发类似前药的系统提供了一种新方法，其中通过创建宿主-客体复合物以有益的方式修饰了药物的特性，然后该主体-客体复合物以受控方式允许刺激诱导的活性物质释放。这些复合物被称为“超分子前药”。在这篇综述中，我们通过客体化学概述了超分子药物的概念，并详细介绍了该领域的进展。本摘要旨在突出超分子前药的许多优点，包括易于制备，分子水平的保护，对生物刺激的敏感反应，无痕释放，对不同药物的适应性强。还详细说明了方法的局限性和未来增长的机会。