Dendritic systems for drug delivery applications

: Dendrimers are synthetic, highly branched and nanometer-sized macromolecules that offer potential application to various fields. They have uniform size and molecular weight, wide internal cavity and modifiable surface functionality that made them very attractive for biological and drug delivery applications. Commercially available PAMAM (polyamidoamine) dendrimers are most frequently used for construction of delivery system by modification of surface amino groups. One of the examples is anticancer drug-PAMAM conjugate with folic acid (FA) for targeting. DNA linked FA-PAMAM and FITC-PAMAM conjugates have been recently developed. Polyester dendrimers are expected to be biodegradable and less toxic to cells. An example is shown. Lastly, construction of a delivery system using caged compounds for photochemical release of drug is described.