Super porous α‐, β‐, γ‐cyclodextrin cryogels with high active agent loading and controllable release profiles.

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are truncated cone‐like structures that are natural cyclic oligosaccharides. Here, a simple preparation method for super porous poly(α‐CD), poly(β‐CD), and poly(γ‐CD) cryogels crosslinking with divinyl sulfone at 150%, 100% and 125% mole ratios with respect to the α‐CD, β‐CD, and γ‐CD molecules, respectively, under cryogenic conditions, is reported. The interconnected homogeneous pore distribution of CD‐based cryogels with pore sizes in the range of 5–100 μm is confirmed by SEM analysis. The CD‐based cryogels weighing 10 mg are determined as hemocompatible with <1% hemolysis ratios and >79% blood clotting indexes; whereas the same materials weighing 1 mg are biocompatible with >75% cell viability on L929 fibroblasts. Additionally, active agent adsorption/delivery efficiencies of CD‐based cryogels utilizing two active agents, Bisphenol A (BPA, a carcinogenic compound) and Curcumin (CUR, a polyphenolic compound), are individually evaluated. It was revealed that p(γ‐CD) cryogels exhibited the highest active agent loading capacity for BPA, 87 ± 13 mg/g, whereas p(α‐CD) cryogels showed the highest loading capacity for CUR, 136 ± 4 mg/g. Moreover, the active agent release from p(α‐CD), p(β‐CD), and p(γ‐CD) cryogel networks at pH 7.4 and 37°C were determined as 40.6 ± 2, 35.3 ± 2, and 34 ± 1 mg/g for BPA, and 1.07 ± 0.2, 1.27 ± 0.1, and 1.37 ± 0.1 mg/g for CUR, respectively, within 96 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]