Dendrimers in Medicine: Therapeutic Concepts and Pharmaceutical Challenges

Dendrimers are three-dimensional- macromolecular structures originating from a central core molecule and surrounded by successive addition of branching layers (generation). These Structures exhibit a high degree of molecular uniformity, narrow molecular weight distribution, tunable size and shape characteristics, as well as multivaleney: Collectively; these physicochemical characteristics together with advancements in design of biodegradable backbones have conferred many applications to dendrimers in formulation science and nanopharmaceutical developments: These-have included the use of dendrimers. as pro-drugs and vehicles - for solubilization, encapsulation, complexation, delivery, and site-specific targeting of small-molectile drugs, biopharmaceuticals, and contrast agents. We briefly review these advances, paying particular attention to attribute that make dendrimers versatile for drug formulation as well as challenging issues surrounding, the future development of dendrimer-based medicines.