Dendrimers as Nanocarriers for Nucleic Acid and Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy
Dendrimers are highly branched polymers with easily modifiable surfaces. This makes them promising structures for functionalization and also for conjugation with drugs and DNA/RNA. Their architecture, which can be controlled by different synthesis processes, allows the control of characteristics suc...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2017-08-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/22/9/1401 |
| _version_ | 1828306023897628672 |
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| author | Livia Palmerston Mendes Jiayi Pan Vladimir P. Torchilin |
| author_facet | Livia Palmerston Mendes Jiayi Pan Vladimir P. Torchilin |
| author_sort | Livia Palmerston Mendes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Dendrimers are highly branched polymers with easily modifiable surfaces. This makes them promising structures for functionalization and also for conjugation with drugs and DNA/RNA. Their architecture, which can be controlled by different synthesis processes, allows the control of characteristics such as shape, size, charge, and solubility. Dendrimers have the ability to increase the solubility and bioavailability of hydrophobic drugs. The drugs can be entrapped in the intramolecular cavity of the dendrimers or conjugated to their functional groups at their surface. Nucleic acids usually form complexes with the positively charged surface of most cationic dendrimers and this approach has been extensively employed. The presence of functional groups in the dendrimer’s exterior also permits the addition of other moieties that can actively target certain diseases and improve delivery, for instance, with folate and antibodies, now widely used as tumor targeting strategies. Dendrimers have been investigated extensively in the medical field, and cancer treatment is one of the greatest areas where they have been most used. This review will consider the main types of dendrimer currently being explored and how they can be utilized as drug and gene carriers and functionalized to improve the delivery of cancer therapy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T14:38:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fd89bb4be1424e0cb9a7164a209e42f4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T14:38:24Z |
| publishDate | 2017-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-fd89bb4be1424e0cb9a7164a209e42f42022-12-22T02:42:58ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492017-08-01229140110.3390/molecules22091401molecules22091401Dendrimers as Nanocarriers for Nucleic Acid and Drug Delivery in Cancer TherapyLivia Palmerston Mendes0Jiayi Pan1Vladimir P. Torchilin2Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Nanomedicine, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USACenter for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Nanomedicine, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USACenter for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Nanomedicine, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USADendrimers are highly branched polymers with easily modifiable surfaces. This makes them promising structures for functionalization and also for conjugation with drugs and DNA/RNA. Their architecture, which can be controlled by different synthesis processes, allows the control of characteristics such as shape, size, charge, and solubility. Dendrimers have the ability to increase the solubility and bioavailability of hydrophobic drugs. The drugs can be entrapped in the intramolecular cavity of the dendrimers or conjugated to their functional groups at their surface. Nucleic acids usually form complexes with the positively charged surface of most cationic dendrimers and this approach has been extensively employed. The presence of functional groups in the dendrimer’s exterior also permits the addition of other moieties that can actively target certain diseases and improve delivery, for instance, with folate and antibodies, now widely used as tumor targeting strategies. Dendrimers have been investigated extensively in the medical field, and cancer treatment is one of the greatest areas where they have been most used. This review will consider the main types of dendrimer currently being explored and how they can be utilized as drug and gene carriers and functionalized to improve the delivery of cancer therapy.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/22/9/1401dendrimersPAMAMPPIPLLcancernucleic aciddrug |
| spellingShingle | Livia Palmerston Mendes Jiayi Pan Vladimir P. Torchilin Dendrimers as Nanocarriers for Nucleic Acid and Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy Molecules dendrimers PAMAM PPI PLL cancer nucleic acid drug |
| title | Dendrimers as Nanocarriers for Nucleic Acid and Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy |
| title_full | Dendrimers as Nanocarriers for Nucleic Acid and Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy |
| title_fullStr | Dendrimers as Nanocarriers for Nucleic Acid and Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dendrimers as Nanocarriers for Nucleic Acid and Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy |
| title_short | Dendrimers as Nanocarriers for Nucleic Acid and Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy |
| title_sort | dendrimers as nanocarriers for nucleic acid and drug delivery in cancer therapy |
| topic | dendrimers PAMAM PPI PLL cancer nucleic acid drug |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/22/9/1401 |
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