Recent advances in dendrimer-based nanovectors for tumor-targeted drug and gene delivery

Abstract

Advances in the application of nanotechnology in medicine have given rise to multifunctional smart nanocarriers that can be engineered with tunable physicochemical characteristics to deliver one or more therapeutic agent(s) safely and selectively to cancer cells, including intracellular organelle-specific targeting. Dendrimers having properties resembling biomolecules, with well-defined 3D nanopolymeric architectures, are emerging as a highly attractive class of drug and gene delivery vector. The presence of numerous peripheral functional groups on hyperbranched dendrimers affords efficient conjugation of targeting ligands and biomarkers that can recognize and bind to receptors overexpressed on cancer cells for tumor-cell-specific delivery. The present review compiles the recent advances in dendrimer-mediated drug and gene delivery to tumors by passive and active targeting principles with illustrative examples.

Figure 1

Dendrimer-mediated active and passive targeting approaches.

Figure 2

An overview of anticancer drug delivery based on the dendrimer platform.

Figure 3

Mechanism of pH-dependent drug release via a dendritic platform.

Figure 4

Dendriplex-assisted gene delivery.

Figure 5

Synthesis of different generations of polypropyleneimine (PPI) dendrimers by a divergent method. Reproduced, with permission, from [42].

Figure 6

Representative images showing the reduction in lung tumor burden following intratracheal instillation of D-DOX in syngeneic F344 rats bearing lung metastases of firefly-luciferase-expressing MAT 13762 IIIB carcinoma. (a–d) Bioluminescent images of the lungs immediately before termination (18 to 21 days after injection of cells). (e–h) Images of fixed lung tissue showing lung regions and individual metastatic foci. Rats were treated with saline alone (a,e), IV DOX (b,f), IV D-DOX (c,g) or intratracheal D-DOX (d,h). The scale for bioluminescent images is depicted on the right. Reproduced, with permission, from [98].