Physicochemical and biological properties of 2-O-α-D-galactosyl-cyclomaltohexaose (α-cyclodexterin) and -cyclomaltoheptaose (β-cyclodextrin).

The physicochemical and biological properties of the new branched cyclomaltooligosaccharides (cyclodextrins; CDs), 2-O-α-D-galactosyl-cyclomaltohexaose (2-O-α-D-galactosyl-α-cyclodextrin, 2-Gal-αCD) and 2-O-α-D-galactosyl-cyclomaltoheptaose (2-O-α-D-galactosyl-β-cyclodextrin, 2-Gal-βCD), were investigated. The formation of inclusion complexes of 2-Gal-CDs with various kinds of guest compounds (clofibrate, cholesterol, cholecalciferol, digitoxin, digitoxigenin, and prostaglandin A(1)) was examined by a solubility method, and the results were compared with those of non-branched CDs and other 6-O-glycosyl-CDs such as 6-O-α-D-galactosyl-CDs, 6-O-α-D-glucosyl-CDs, and 6-O-α-maltosyl-CDs. The inclusion abilities of 2-Gal-αCD for clofibrate and prostaglandin A(1), and 2-Gal-βCD for clofibrate, cholecalciferol, cholesterol, and digitoxigenin were markedly weaker than those of non-branched CD and other 6-O-glycosyl-CDs in each series, probably because of a steric hindrance caused by the α-(1→2)-galactoside linkage. The hemolytic activities of 2-Gal-CDs on human erythrocytes were the lowest among each CD series, and the compounds showed negligible cytotoxicity towards Caco-2 cells up to at least 100mM.