Biocatalysis cyclodextrins

Cyclodextrins (sometimes called cycloamyloses) make up a family of cyclic oligosaccharides composed of 5 or more a-D-glucopyranoside units linked 1 —> 4, as in amylose (a fragment of starch), and have been used as activating macrocyclic excipients in nonaqueous biocatalysis. Griebenow et al. observed that lyophilization of methyl-[3-cyclodextrin with subtilisin Carlsberg in a 6 1 weight ratio resulted in a 164-fold rate enhancement in THF for the transesterification rate of sec-phenethyl alcohol with vinyl butyrate (Scheme 3.3) [98]. 

Nakano, H., and Kitahata, S. 2005. Application of cyclodextrin glucanotransferases to the synthesis of oligosaccharides and glycosides. In Handbook of Industrial Biocatalysis, ed. C.T. Hon. Boca Raton, FL CRC Press, Taylor Francis Group, pp. 22-1-15. 

To overcome the problem of product inhibition—extractive biocatalysis, use of supramolecular systems for forming inclusion complexes with the product, such as cyclodextrins and crown ethers, have been attempted. 

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