Anti-Candida activity and in vitro toxicity screening of antifungals complexed with ß-cyclodextrin.

The emergence of resistant fungal species and the toxicity of currently available antifungal drugs are relevant issues that require special consideration. Cyclodextrins inclusion complexes could optimize the antimicrobial activity of such drugs and create a controlled release system with few side effects. This study aimed to assess the in vitro toxicity and antifungal effectiveness of nystatin (Nys) and chlorhexidine (Chx) complexed or not with ß-cyclodextrin (ßCD). First, a drug toxicity screening was performed through the Artemia salina bioassay. Then, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against Candida albicans were determined with the broth microdilution test. After MICs determination, the cytotoxicity of the drugs was evaluated through the methyl-thiazolyl-tetrazolium (MTT) and neutral red (NR) assays and through cell morphology analysis. The PROBIT analysis was used to determine the median lethal concentration (LC50), and the cell viability values were submitted to one-way analysis of variance(ANOVA)/Tukey (α = 0.05). Overall, the ßCD-complexed antifungals were less toxic against A. salina than their raw forms, suggesting that inclusion complexes can reduce the toxicity of drugs. The MICs obtained were as follows: Nys 0.5 mg/L; Nys:ßCD 4 mg/L; Chx 4 mg/L; and Chx:ßCD 8 mg/L. Chx showed significant cytotoxicity (MTT: 12.9 ± 9.6%; NR: 10.6 ± 12.5%) and promoted important morphological changes. Cells exposed to the other drugs showed viability above 70% with no cellular damage. These results suggest that antifungals complexed with ßCD might be a biocompatible option for the treatment of Candida-related infections.

The Interaction of Heptakis (2,6-di-O-Methyl)-ß-cyclodextrin with Mianserin Hydrochloride and Its Influence on the Drug Toxicity.

One tetracyclic antidepressant, mianserin hydrochloride (MIA), has quite significant side effects on a patients' health. Cyclodextrins, which are most commonly used to reduce the undesirable features of contained drugs within their hydrophobic interior, also have the potential to alter the toxic behavior of the drug. The present paper contains investigations and the characteristics of interaction mechanisms for MIA and the heptakis (2,6-di-O-methyl)-ß-cyclodextrin (DM-ß-CD) system, and evaluated the effects of the complexation on MIA cytotoxicity. In order to assess whether there was an interaction between MIA and DM-ß-CD molecules, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) have been chosen. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) helped to establish the complex stoichiometry, and circular dichroism spectroscopy was used to describe the process of complex formation. In order to make a wider interpretative perspective, the molecular docking results have been performed. The viability of Chinese hamster cells were investigated in the presence of DM-ß-CD and its complexes with MIA in order to estimate the cytotoxicity of the drug and the conjugate with the chosen cyclodextrin. The viability of B14 cells treated with MIA+DM-ß-CD is lower (the toxicity is higher) than with MIA alone, and no protective effects have been observed for complexes of MIA with DM-ß-CD in any ratio.

Chitosan nanoparticles fabricated through host-guest interaction for enhancing the immunostimulatory effect of CpG oligodeoxynucleotide.

CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODNs) which can induce innate immune responses and promote adaptive immune responses, are powerful tools in defeating diseases. Here, a novel chitosan nanoparticle (CS-NPs) based on host-guest interaction has been designed for encapsulation and delivery of CpG ODNs for the first time. The CS-NPs exhibited high encapsulation efficiency (98.3%) of CpG ODNs and remained stable in storage under room temperature for at least 7 days. CS-NPs can also prevent CpG ODN diffusion at pH 7. The results of confocal laser scanning microscope images and flow cytometry show that CS-NPs can also be efficiently delivered into living cells. Furthermore, CpG@CS-NPs can increase the immunostimulatory activity of CpG ODNs. Raw 264.7 cells treated with CpG@CS-NPs demonstrated upregulation of both TNF-α and IL-6 cytokines by 13% and 40%, respectively. The newly developed CpG@CS-NPs were thus identified as an efficient system to deliver CpG-ODNs to treat various diseases.

Genistein-Derived ROS-Responsive Nanoparticles Relieve Colitis by Regulating Mucosal Homeostasis.

Disruption of intestinal homeostasis is an important event in the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and genistein (GEN) is a candidate medicine to prevent IBD. However, the clinical application of GEN is restricted owing to its low oral bioavailability. Herein, a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive nanomaterial (defined as GEN-NP2) containing superoxidase dismutase-mimetic temporally conjugated ß-cyclodextrin and 4-(hydroxymethyl)phenylboronic acid pinacol ester-modified GEN was prepared. GEN-NP2 effectively delivered GEN to the inflammation site and protected GEN from rapid metabolism and elimination in the gastrointestinal tract. In response to high ROS levels, GEN was site-specifically released and accumulated at inflammatory sites. Mechanistically, GEN-NP2 effectively increased the expression of estrogen receptor ß (ERß), simultaneously reduced the expression of proinflammatory mediators (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC) and Caspase1-p20), attenuated the infiltration of inflammatory cells, promoted autophagy of intestinal epithelial cells, inhibited the secretion of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), modulated the gut microbiota, and ultimately alleviated colitis. In addition, the oral administration of these nanoparticles showed excellent safety, thereby providing confidence in the further development of precise treatments for IBD.

Supramolecular Polymerization-Induced Nanoassemblies for Self-Augmented Cascade Chemotherapy and Chemodynamic Therapy of Tumor.

The clinical application of chemodynamic therapy is impeded by the insufficient intracellular H2 O2 level in tumor tissues. Herein, we developed a supramolecular nanoparticle via a simple one-step supramolecular polymerization-induced self-assembly process using platinum (IV) complex-modified ß-cyclodextrin-ferrocene conjugates as supramolecular monomers. The supramolecular nanoparticles could dissociate rapidly upon exposure to endogenous H2 O2 in the tumor and release hydroxyl radicals as well as platinum (IV) prodrugs in situ, which is reduced into cisplatin to significantly promote the generation of H2 O2 in the tumor tissue. Thus, the supramolecular nanomedicine overcomes the limitation of conventional chemodynamic therapy via the self-augmented cascade radical generation and drug release. In addition, dissociated supramolecular nanoparticles could be readily excreted from the body via renal clearance to effectively avoid systemic toxicity and ensure long term biocompatibility of the nanomedicine. This work may provide new insights on the design and development of novel supramolecular nanoassemblies for cascade chemo/chemodynamic therapy.

Carboxylated ß-cyclodextrin anchored hollow mesoporous silica enhances insecticidal activity and reduces the toxicity of indoxacarb.

In this study, a pesticide controlled release system with dual response characteristics of pH and enzyme triggering was developed. Indoxacarb (IDC) was loaded into hollow mesoporous silica (HMS) nanoparticles, carboxylated ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) acted as a capping molecule to couple with the amino-functionalized HMS, and their well-defined morphological structures were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that the prepared IDC loaded HMS-CD had high loading efficiency (26.42%, w/w) and showed excellent dual response properties to pH and the α-amylase enzyme. IDC loaded HMS-CD nanoparticles showed better insecticidal activity against Spodoptera frugiperda than applying the same dose of IDC emulsifiable concentrate, and the toxicity of IDC loaded HMS-CD to zebrafish was reduced by more than 5-fold, indicating that insecticide delivery systems based on ß-CD-anchored HMS nanoparticles could potentially be applied for sustainable control of pests and reduce harm to non-target organisms and the environment.

Cytotoxicity of ß-Cyclodextrins in Retinal Explants for Intravitreal Drug Formulations.

Cyclodextrins (CDs) have been widely used as pharmaceutical excipients for formulation purposes for different delivery systems. Recent studies have shown that CDs are able to form complexes with a variety of biomolecules, such as cholesterol. This has subsequently paved the way for the possibility of using CDs as drugs in certain retinal diseases, such as Stargardt disease and retinal artery occlusion, where CDs could absorb cholesterol lumps. However, studies on the retinal toxicity of CDs are limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the retinal toxicity of different beta-(ß)CD derivatives and their localization within retinal tissues. To this end, we performed cytotoxicity studies with two different CDs-2-hydroxypropyl-ßCD (HPßCD) and randomly methylated ß-cyclodextrin (RMßCD)-using wild-type mouse retinal explants, the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, and fluorescence microscopy. RMßCD was found to be more toxic to retinal explants when compared to HPßCD, which the retina can safely tolerate at levels as high as 10 mM. Additionally, studies conducted with fluorescent forms of the same CDs showed that both CDs can penetrate deep into the inner nuclear layer of the retina, with some uptake by Müller cells. These results suggest that HPßCD is a safer option than RMßCD for retinal drug delivery and may advance the use of CDs in the development of drugs designed for intravitreal administration.

Synthesis and characterization of thiol modified beta cyclodextrin, its biocompatible analysis and application as a modified release carrier of ticagrelor.

Thiol modification of beta cyclodextrin (ß-CD) was carried out using thiourea, which served as a thiol donor. The chemical reaction was mediated using HCl. Polymer prepared via thiolation was further subjected to physicochemical and biocompatible analysis. Acute oral toxicity and compatibility was determined in albino rats. Furthermore, compressed tablets of ticagrelor (TCG) were prepared using modified and unmodified polymers and evaluated via various quality control tests. Thiolation was successfully achieved and confirmed by the FTIR scan, as a significant corresponding peak was observed at 2692 cm-1 wavenumber, demonstrating the attachment of -SH group. In vivo analysis has confirmed the safe use of ß-CD, as none of the vital organs showed any kind of toxic effects. Dissolution studies revealed that Tß-CD was able to release 96.62% of the drug within 1 h of the study, hence providing an immediate release. Conclusively, a thiol moiety was successfully attached to the polymeric backbone and was found safe to be used as a pharmaceutical excipient.

ß-cyclodextrin improve the tolerant of freshwater algal Spiny Scenedesmus to chiral drugs venlafaxine and its metabolite.

This study based on the freshwater algae Spiny scenedesmus (S. scenedesmus) with tolerance to venlafaxine aiming to investigate algae removal abilities. Here presented for the first time to evaluate the effect of ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) on reduce toxicity and enhance removal ability of venlafaxine and O-desmethylvenlafaxine to S. scenedesmus. Based on dose-response results, the toxicity of R-venlafaxine (EC50 = 6.81 mg·L -1) and R-O-desmethylvenlafaxine (EC50 = 3.36 mg·L -1) to algae were more than two times than those in the presence of ß-CD treatment (10.64 mg L -1 for R-venlafaxine and 11.87 mg L -1 for R-O-desmethylvenlafaxine). The significant differences were observed between S-venlafaxine (11.07 mg L -1) and S-O-desmethylvenlafaxine (10.24 mg L -1), which were more toxic than R-forms. The half-lives of R- and S-venlafaxine were 0.8 d and 0.5 d in the presence of ß-CD, which were obvious shorter than those in alone treatments. In addition, our experiments not only demonstrated that ß-CD performed particularly well for removal of venlafaxine and O-desmethylvenlafaxine, it significantly reduces the toxicity of venlafaxine to alga. These results highlight advantages of ß-CD relevant to chiral drugs removal and protection of aquatic organisms, which may have a better application for environmental and ecological safety in future.

Cyclodextrin functionalized agarose gel with low gelling temperature for controlled drug delivery systems.

Conventional agaroses with high gelling temperature are limited to apply to the field of drug delivery. In this study, ß-cyclodextrin (ßCD) functionalized agarose (CFA) with low gelling temperature was successfully prepared from ethylenediamine-functionalized agarose using mono-succinyl ßCD. The gelling temperature of CFA dramatically decreased to 26.7 °C from 65 °C and the melting temperature declined from 95 °C to 66.1 °C. Upon drug loading, CFA can be used at 30 °C because of its low gelling temperature compared to agarose. CFA gel could be used both for bovine serum albumin as a full release, and for the doxorubicin (DOX) for sustained release, via inclusion complexation of ßCD. Furthermore, cytotoxicity tests revealed that CFA was noncytotoxic. DOX in the CFA gel could retain the anti-cancer activity. Newly synthesized CFA with low gelling temperature offer a new means for the development of hydrogel-based delivery systems for a variety of therapeutic drugs.

Dual delivery of tuberculosis drugs via cyclodextrin conjugated curdlan nanoparticles to infected macrophages.

In tuberculosis, macrophages serve as a host for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and hence targeting them with nanoparticles-based drug delivery could be the best strategy to achieve high therapeutic efficacy. Two tuberculosis drugs, namely rifampicin and levofloxacin, which have different mechanism of action on the bacteria, were complexed with cyclodextrin and conjugated to curdlan nanoparticles, to achieve simultaneous sustained release of both the drugs over a prolonged period of time. They are non-cytotoxic to both RAW 264.7 and L929 cells. They are taken up ˜1.8 times more by the macrophage cells through dectin-1 receptor than the fibroblast cells. They are also able to kill more than 95% of Mycobacterium smegmatis residing within the macrophages in 4 h. These results demonstrate that curdlan-CD nanoparticles can be a promising system for the loading and intracellular release of hydrophobic drugs into macrophages for various therapeutic applications.

Electrospinning in water and in situ crosslinking of hyaluronic acid / cyclodextrin nanofibers: Towards wound dressing with controlled drug release.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is widely investigated due to its high potential for wound dressing applications. The fabrication of biomimetic HA-based scaffolds by electrospinning is thus extensively studied. However, HA is often dissolved in toxic organic solvents to allow the efficient production of electrospun nanofibers. Indeed, although HA is soluble in water, its ionic nature leading to long-range electrostatic interactions and the presence of counter ions induce a dramatic increase of the viscosity of aqueous HA solutions without insuring enough chain entanglements necessary for a stable and efficient electrospinning. In this study, biocompatible insoluble HA-based nanofibers were fabricated by electrospinning in pure water. To this end, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was added as a carrier polymer and it was found that the addition of hydroxypropyl-ßcyclodextrin (HPßCD) stabilized the process of electrospinning and led to the efficient formation of uniform nanofibrous scaffolds. An in situ crosslinking process of the scaffolds is also proposed, insuring a whole fabrication process without any toxicity. Furthermore, the beneficial presence of HPßCD in the HA-based scaffolds paves the way for wound dressing applications with controlled drug encapsulation-release properties. As a proof of concept, naproxen (NAP), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug was chosen as a model drug. NAP was impregnated into the scaffolds either in aqueous solution or under supercritical CO2. The resulting functional scaffolds showed a regular drug release profile along several days without losing the fibrous structure. This study proposes a simple approach to form stable HA-based nanofibrous scaffolds embedding HPßCD using water as the only solvent, enabling the development of safe functional wound dressings.

Host-guest supramolecular assembly directing beta-cyclodextrin based nanocrystals towards their robust performances.

Fluorescent CdTe nanocrystals (NCs) capped with beta-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) are successfully synthesized by host-guest supramolecular assembly of the hydrophobic alkyl chains of N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) on the surface of CdTe NCs and eco-friendly ß-CD via the promising simple hydrothermal method in our experiments. The as-prepared NCs display better stability and lower toxicity compared with traditional those only capped with NAC. Specially, cytotoxicity experiments to human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro and zebrafish embryo toxicological tests in vivo are performed to determine the toxicity of CdTe NCs. For their practical applications, the promising red-luminescent NCs are employed as stable and low poison red phosphors to fabricate white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) with remarkable color-rendering index (CRI) being 91.6. This research offers significance for solving the difficulty in toxicity and instability of heavy metal based NCs, which has potential applications in future optoelectronic devices and biomarkers.

ß-cyclodextrin based dual-responsive multifunctional nanotheranostics for cancer cell targeting and dual drug delivery.

Multifunctional nanoconjugates possessing an assortment of key functionalities such as magnetism, florescence, cell-targeting, pH and thermo-responsive features were developed for dual drug delivery. The novelty lies in careful conjugation of each of the functionality with magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles by virtue of urethane linkages instead of silica in a simple one pot synthesis. Further ß-cyclodextrin (CD) was utilized to carry hydrophobic as well as hydrophilic drug. Superlative release of DOX could be obtained under acidic pH conditions and elevated temperature, which coincides with the tumor microenvironment. Mathematical modelling studies revealed that the drug release kinetics followed diffusion mechanism for both hydrophobic drug and hydrophilic drug. A number of fluorophores onto a single nanoparticle produced a strong fluorescence signal to optically track the nanoconjugates. Enhanced internalization due to folate specificity could be observed by fluorescence imaging. Further their accumulation driven by magnet near tumor site led to magnetic hyperthermia. in vitro studies confirmed the nontoxicity and hemocompatibility of the nanoconjugates. Remarkable cell death was observed with drug-loaded nanoconjugates at very low concentrations in cancer cells. The internalization and cellular uptake of poor bioavailable anticancer agent curcumin were found to be remarkably enhanced on dosing the drug loaded nanoconjugates as compared to free curcumin. Site specific drug delivery due to folate conjugation and subsequent significant suppression in tumor growth was demonstrated by in vivo studies.

Study to Probe Subsistence of Host-Guest Inclusion Complexes of α and ß-Cyclodextrins with Biologically Potent Drugs for Safety Regulatory Dischargement.

Host-guest interaction of two significant drugs, phenylephrine hydrochloride and synephrine with α and ß-cyclodextrins were studied systematically. Initially two simple but reliable physicochemical techniques namely conductance and surface tension were employed to find out saturation concentration for the inclusion and its stoichiometry. The obtained 1:1 stoichiometry was further confirmed by two spectrometric methods, UV-Vis study and spectrofluorimetry. Significant shifts in IR stretching frequency also support the inclusion process. Relative stabilities of the inclusion complexes were established by the association constants obtained from UV-Vis spectroscopic measurements, program based mathematical calculation of conductivity data. Calculations of the thermodynamic parameters dictates thermodynamic feasibility of the inclusion process. Spectrofluorometric measurement scaffolds the UV-Vis spectroscopic measurement validating stability of the ICs once again. Mass spectroscopic measurement gives the molecular ion peaks corresponding to the inclusion complex of 1:1 molar ratio of host and guest molecules. The mechanism of inclusion was drawn by 1H-NMR and 2D ROESY spectroscopic analysis. Surface texture of the inclusion complexes was studied by SEM. Finally, the cytotoxic activities of the inclusion complexes were analyzed and found, Cell viability also balances for non-toxic behavior of the ICs. Moreover, all the studies reveal the formation of inclusion complexes of two ephedra free, alternatively emerging drugs (after their banned product having ephedra) SNP, PEH with α and ß-CD which enriches the drug delivery system with their regulatory release without any chemical modification.

Self-Assembled Supramolecular Nanoparticles for Targeted Delivery and Combination Chemotherapy.

It is challenging but imperative to merge imaging agents and small molecule therapeutics into one nanoentity for diagnosis and treatment. Herein, we constructed polymeric nanoparticles for targeted delivery and combination chemotherapy, which formed through host-guest interactions among three elements: 1) ß-cyclodextrin polymer (poly-ß-CD), as the backbone of nanoparticles; 2) two antitumor drugs-doxorubicin (DOX) and docetaxel (DTX); and 3) aptamers labeled with adamantane and fluorescein (Ad-aptamer-FAM), as recognition elements. First, polymeric nanoparticles, termed self-assembled supramolecular nanoparticles (SSNPs), were formulated by combining hydrophobic DTX and DOX with poly-ß-CD via host-guest interactions. Then, the surface of SSNPs modified the aptamer to acquire targeting ability; such nanoparticles were termed targeted self-assembled supramolecular nanoparticles (T-SSNPs). As evidenced by MTS assay data, T-SSNPs exhibited significant selective cytotoxicity toward target cells. The results also indicated that combination drugs achieved a good synergistic effect with a combination index of 0.43. Thus, an effective and simple drug delivery system was constructed for targeted delivery and combination chemotherapy.

Physicochemical and Toxic Properties of Novel Genipin Drug Delivery Systems Prepared by Mechanochemistry.

BACKGROUND: Complexes of Genipin and different water-soluble adjuvant polysaccharides, such as arabinogalactane, hydroxyethyl starch, fibergum, and oligosaccharides ß-CD and HP-ß-CD, were synthesized as drug delivery system using mechanochemical technology. METHOD: We have investigated physicochemical properties, stability, and hepatotoxicity of the synthesized complexes in solid state and aqueous solution. The formation of the complexes was evidenced by different physical and spectroscopy assays, and the stability constants of our synthesized Genipin-based complexes were also calculated. RESULTS: The HP-ß-CD inclusion complex showed the highest characteristics. We have found that the molecule of Genipin was completely included in the cyclodextrin cavity of the HP-ß-CD. This complex of Genipin has shown a 6.14-fold increase of solubility compared with the original Genipin, and more stable in solvent and solid states. CONCLUSION: The hepatotoxicity assays showed that our investigated complexes of Genipin are much safer than the original Genipin. These results suggest that new Genipin-based preparations can be synthesized with advantageous of higher stability and safety.

Polymeric Nanoparticles Induce NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation and Promote Breast Cancer Metastasis.

Polymeric nanoparticles gain enormous interests in cancer therapy. Polyethylenimine (PEI) 25 kD is well known for its high transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity. PEI-CyD (PC) was previously synthesized by conjugating low molecular PEI (M w 600) with ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CyD), which is shown to induce lower cytotoxicity than PEI 25 kD. In the current study, the in vivo immune response of branched PEI 25 kD and PC is investigated. Compared to PC/pDNA, exposure of PEI 25kD/pDNA induces higher level of immune-stimulation evidenced by the increased spleen weight, phagocytic capacity of peritoneal macrophage, and proinflammatory cytokines in serum and liver. Importantly, administration of PEI 25 kD can greatly promote breast cancer metastasis in liver and lung tissues, which correlates with its ability to induce high oxidative stress and NLRP3-inflammasome activation. These results suggest that polymeric nanocarriers have the potential to induce immune-stimulation and cancer metastasis, which may affect their efficiency for cancer therapy.

Sensitive complex micelles based on host-guest recognition from chitosan-graft-ß-cyclodextrin for drug release.

In this paper, pH-sensitive complex micelles were developed based on the host-guest recognition from chitosan-graft-ß-cyclodextrin (CS-g-CD) and benzimidazole-terminated poly(ε-caprolactone) (BM-PCL) for controlled drug release. The formation and characterization of complex micelles were confirmed by fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and laser particle analyzer. The size of complex micelles was about 200nm with the core formed by BM-PCL/ß-CD and the shell composed of chitosan. Doxorubicin (DOX), a model anticancer drug, was effectively loaded into the complex micelles via hydrophobic interactions. The encapsulation efficiency of DOX was up to 75%. The release of DOX from complex micelles was suppressed at neutral pH solutions due to the stability of micelles but accelerated at acidic solutions and high temperatures. These sensitive complex micelles might possess potential applications as intelligent nanocarriers for anticancer drug delivery.

Comparison in toxicity and solubilizing capacity of hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin with different degree of substitution.

Hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin (HP-ß-CD) has been widely used as an effective solubilizing agent in pharmaceutical industry for many years. However, the effect of degree of substitution (D.S.) of HP-ß-CD on solubilizing capacity and toxicity has not been concerned. In this study, solubilizing capacity of HP-ß-CDs with three different D.S. (4.55, 6.16 and 7.76) for 16 drugs were measured and their toxicities were compared by a 7-day i.v. administration (q.d.) study in rats. Generally, HP-ß-CD with high D.S. (7.76) showed weaker solubilizing capacity for steroids and BCS class II drugs, but lower hemolytic activity, compared with that of HP-ß-CD with low (4.55) or medium (6.16) D.S. HP-ß-CD with low D.S. resulted in more changes in hematological and biochemical parameters, but the effects were reversible after a 7-day recovery. Moreover, HP-ß-CD with medium D.S. may have slightly greater nephrotoxicity than the other two HP-ß-CDs. HP-ß-CDs with different D.S. had similar urine excretion percentage after i.v. administration and none of them was found to affect glomerular filtration function of rats. The results suggest that HP-ß-CD with low D.S. would be a better choice considering both the solubilizing capacity and toxicity. However, comparison in toxicity of HP-ß-CDs with different D.S. should be carried out in human in view of its species-dependence property.