Crystal structure of 6-O-[(R)-2-hydroxypropyl]cyclomaltoheptaose and 6-O-[(S)-2-hydroxypropyl]cyclomaltoheptaose.

Crystal structures of 6-O-[(R)-2-hydroxypropyl]- and 6-O-[(S)-2-hydroxypropyl]-cyclomaltoheptaose were determined by X-ray analysis. In both structures, the 2-hydroxypropyl group is inserted into the macrocyclic cavity of the next molecule related by the two-fold screw axis, and a helically extended polymeric structure is formed by repetition of the intermolecular inclusion. The hydroxyl group of the substituent group penetrates through the macrocyclic ring from the secondary hydroxyl side and is linked to an HO-6 group by a hydrogen bond. Comparison of intermolecular contacts of the substituent group indicates that the (S)-2-hydroxypropyl group is better fitted to the cavity than the (R)-2-hydroxy-propyl group.

Synthesis of some 2-O-(2-hydroxyalkyl) and 2-O-(2,3-dihydroxyalkyl) derivatives of cyclomaltoheptaose.

On alkylation of cyclomaltoheptaose with oxiranes, promoted by alkali of low concentration, substitution at secondary positions, particularly at O-2, is favoured. The reaction has been used to prepare the 2-O-[(R)- and (S)-2-hydroxypropyl], 2-O-(2-hydroxy-2-methylpropyl), 2-O-[(R)- and (S)-2,3-dihydroxypropyl], and 2-O-[(R)- and (S)-2,3-dihydroxy-2-methylpropyl] derivatives. Each of these derivatives is less soluble in water than cyclomaltoheptaose, and their complexes with toluene, in contrast to that of cyclomaltoheptaose, are well soluble in water.

Crystal structure of 2-O-[(S)-2-hydroxypropyl]cyclomaltoheptaose.

2-O-[(S)-2-Hydroxypropyl]cyclomaltoheptaose crystallises in the monoclinic space group P2(1) with unit-cell dimensions a = 15.072(1), b = 10.409(1), c = 20.623(2) A, and beta = 108.52(1) degrees. The structure was solved by X-ray diffraction and refined to an R-value of 0.096. The macrocyclic ring of the cyclomaltoheptaose moiety is less symmetrical than that in cyclomaltoheptaose. The glucose residue that carries the hydroxypropyl group inclines much more with its primary hydroxyl side towards the inside of the macrocycle than the other glucose residues. The molecules are arranged in a herring-bone fashion to form a cage-type packing structure. The hydroxypropyl group is inserted into the cavity of an adjacent molecule related by a two-fold screw axis, and the hydroxyl group is linked to an HO-6 via OH...water...OH hydrogen bonds. The crystal contains 8.5 water molecules which occupy 11 sites. Two water molecules are included at the primary hydroxyl side of the cyclomaltoheptaose cavity.

Pharmaceutical usefulness of hydroxypropylcyclodextrins: "e pluribus unum" is an essential feature.

A series of hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrins was prepared by a method that leads to a preferential substitution on the secondary hydroxyls, mainly O-2, of beta-cyclodextrin with (S)-2-hydroxypropyl groups. The series consisted of mixtures of compounds with average degrees of substitution of 8, 3, and 1.6 and of a specially isolated monosubstituted compound; thus, the number of components progressively decreased in this series. The crystallinity in the series increased progressively, the first member being fully amorphous and the last one fully crystalline. All members of the series formed clear aqueous solutions at concentrations of greater than 50.0, 2.0, 0.6, and 0.3%, respectively. Therefore, pharmaceutically useful hydroxypropylcyclodextrin preparations are those containing a large number of chemically individual compounds--a feature resulting in an amorphous state and high water solubility.

Distribution of substituents in 2-hydroxypropyl ethers of cyclomaltoheptaose.

The distribution of substituents in 2-hydroxypropyl ethers of cyclomaltoheptaose, prepared by alkylation of the carbohydrate with propylene oxide in aqueous sodium hydroxide, was investigated. The samples were fully methylated and hydrolyzed, and the resulting mixture of alkylated sugars analyzed as their alditol acetates by g.l.c.-m.s. High and low alkali concentration favored the formation of 2-hydroxypropyl ethers at O-6 and O-2, respectively; substitution at O-2 increased the reactivity of O-3. The overall extent of substitution had only secondary effects on the relative reactivities of O-6 and O-2, and the 2-hydroxypropyl groups remained unevenly distributed among the glucose residues, even when the overall substitution increased. Only small proportions of the isomeric 2-(1-hydroxypropyl) ethers were formed, and the percentage of oligopropylene glycol ethers was also low.