Are dendrimers synthetic?
Table of Contents
Are dendrimers synthetic?
Dendrimers are highly defined artificial macromolecules, which are characterized by a combination of a high number of functional groups and a compact molecular structure [17]. The emerging role of dendritic macromolecules for anticancer therapies and diagnostic imaging is remarkable.
Are dendrimers man made?
Dendrimers are man made, nanoscale compounds with unique properties that make them useful to the health and pharmaceutical industry as both enhancements to existing products and as entirely new products. Dendrimers are constructed by the successive addition of layers of branching groups.
Why are dendrimers important?
Due to their size, dendrimers are used in nanomedicine research. They are found to be useful as delivery or carrier systems for drugs and genes, but studies have shown that some dendrimers have medicinal uses of their own, mostly due to their antifungal, antibacterial and cytotoxic properties [5,6].
What are the different ways of drug loading in dendrimers?
The dendrimer architecture has three main sites for drug entrapment by using various mechanisms: (i) void spaces (by molecular entrapment); (ii) branching points (by hydrogen bonding); and (iii) outside surface groups by (charge–charge interactions) (Figure 1).
What is the major issue with dendrimers?
These molecules have two major drawbacks: low hydrosolubility and high nonspecific toxicity. Hence, the use of dendrimers is a promising strategy [70,71,72,73].
What is the meaning of dendrimers?
Dendrimers are highly ordered, branched polymeric molecules. Synonymous terms for dendrimer include arborols and cascade molecules. Typically, dendrimers are symmetric about the core, and often adopt a spherical three-dimensional morphology. The word dendron is also encountered frequently.
How are dendrimers made?
Dendrimers are constructed by the successive addition of layers to the branching groups. The synthesis of dendrimers involves a core molecule with branching groups to which other branching molecules are added (see figure below) in layers. Each new layer is called a generation.
