Synthesis of Peptide Dendrimers and Their Application in the Drug Delivery System

Dendrimers are a novel polymer material, which have received more and more attention due to the functional groups on their surface, hydrophobic cavity and adjustable sizes. Thus, dendrimers have been widely used in many fields. Peptide dendrimer is a sort of dendritic polymer, which contains peptide bonds in the structure. Owing to the globular structure similar to the protein, excellent water solubility, biocompatibility, biodegradability and low toxicity, peptide dendrimer could be used as drug delivery carrier. In addition, hydrophobic cavity can be used to solubilize hydrophobic drugs, in which the drugs can be released slowly. The present review highlights the current status of synthesis of peptide dendrimers, and it also summarizes and forecasts the interaction mechanism between drug molecules and peptide dendrimers, and the application of peptide dendrimers in drug delivery system.