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Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Synthesis, Cellular Delivery and In vivo Application of Dendrimer-based pH Sensors
Published on: September 10, 2013
Dendrimers and their Application in Drug Delivery: A Review
1Department of Chemistry, Payame Noor University, P.O. Box 19395-4697, Tehran, Iran.
Introduction:
Dendrimers are nanoscale, highly branched macromolecules with a well-defined core and multifunctional surface groups. They improve drug delivery by enhancing solubility, bioavailability, and targeted release. This review covers advances in dendrimer synthesis, types, and biomedical applications in cancer therapy, imaging, and gene delivery. About 40% of new drugs fail due to low solubility or cell permeability. Dendrimers offer controlled structures that enhance solubility and delivery performance.
Methods:
Scientific databases were searched for studies on dendrimer chemistry and biomedical uses, focusing on synthesis, functionalization, and drug delivery.
Results:
Dendrimers improve drug encapsulation, targeting, and controlled release. Functionalized surfaces enable specific uptake and reduce side effects, enhancing therapeutic outcomes. This review summarizes recent progress in dendrimer synthesis, types, and their drug delivery applications.
Discussion:
Dendrimers outperform linear polymers but face challenges like toxicity at higher generations, mitigated by PEGylation. Future work aims at clinical translation and designing stimuli-responsive systems.
Conclusion:
Dendrimers offer a transformative platform for drug delivery through their monodisperse, branched architecture, enabling precise encapsulation, solubility enhancement, and targeted release for poorly bioavailable drugs. Versatile types like PAMAM, peptide, glyco-, hybrid, and tecto-dendrimers support oncology, imaging, gene therapy, and stimuli-responsive systems, with PEGylation addressing cytotoxicity.
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