Over recent decades, synthetic
macrocyclic compounds have attracted interest from the scientific community due to their ability to selectively and reversibly form complexes with a huge variety of guest moieties. These molecules have been studied within a wide range of sensing and other fields. Within this review, we will give an overview of the most common synthetic
macrocyclic compounds including
cyclodextrins,
calixarenes, calixresorcinarenes, pillarenes and cucurbiturils. These species all display the ability to form a wide range of complexes. This makes these compounds suitable in the field of
cancer detection since they can bind to either
cancer cell surfaces or indeed to marker compounds for a wide variety of
cancers. The formation of such complexes allows sensitive and selective detection and quantification of such guests. Many of these compounds also show potential for the detection and encapsulation of
environmental carcinogens. Furthermore, many anti-
cancer drugs, although effective in in vitro tests, are not suitable for use directly for
cancer treatment due to low solubility, inherent instability in in vivo environments or an inability to be adsorbed by or transported to the required sites for treatment. The reversible encapsulation of these species in a macrocyclic compound can greatly improve their solubility, stability and transport to required sites where they can be released for maximum
therapeutic effect. Within this review, we intend to present the use of these species both in
cancer sensing and treatment. The various macrocyclic compound families will be described, along with brief descriptions of their synthesis and properties, with an outline of their use in
cancer detection and usage as therapeutic agents. Their use in the sensing of
environmental carcinogens as well as their potential utilisation in the clean-up of some of these species will also be discussed.