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. 2023 Mar;2(1):e30.
doi: 10.1002/mba2.30. Epub 2023 Feb 20.

Dendrimer and dendrimer gel-derived drug delivery systems: Breaking bottlenecks of topical administration of glaucoma medications

Juan Wang  1 , Boxuan Li  2 , Uday B Kompella  3 , Hu Yang  4
Affiliations

Dendrimer and dendrimer gel-derived drug delivery systems: Breaking bottlenecks of topical administration of glaucoma medications

Juan Wang et al. MedComm Biomater Appl. 2023 Mar.

Abstract

Due to high structural flexibility, multidrug carrying capability, and tunable size, dendrimers have been used as suitable carriers for ophthalmic drug delivery. Drug molecules can be either encapsulated or chemically coupled to dendrimers. The nanoscopic size, spheroidal shape, and cationic surface of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers promote their interaction with the cornea and result in prolonged precorneal retention. Dendrimers could be further cross-linked to produce three-dimensional hydrogel networks or dendrimer hydrogels (DH). The properties of the DH can be readily adjusted to maintain both fluidity and adhesiveness, making them suitable for developing topical ocular drug formulations. Micro-/nano-sized DHs, that is, dendrimer micro-/nano-gels, have unique properties such as ease of administration, large specific surface area for adhesion, and drug targeting functionalities, making them attractive for ophthalmic drug delivery. This perspective reports advances in PAMAM dendrimer based drug delivery systems including drug conjugates and micro- and nano-gels to enhance and sustain the delivery of multiple anti-glaucoma drugs, Dendrimer and dendrimer gel-derived drug delivery systems hold great potential as multifunctional topical drug delivery systems for the eye.

Keywords: dendrimer; dendrimer hydrogel; dendrimer micro/nanogel; drug delivery; glaucoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST Hu Yang is an Editorial board member of MedComm – Biomaterials and Applications. Hu Yang was not involved in the journal’s review or decisions related to this manuscript. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Two major barriers to topical ocular drug delivery. Reprinted with permission from Li et al.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Various nano-drug delivery systems for corneal permeation. Reprinted with permission from Yadav et al. Copyright 2019 of Elsevier.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Synthesis of DenTimol. Reprinted with permission from Li et al. Copyright 2018 of American Chemical Society.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
A dendrimer hydrogel (DH) platform prepared through the aza-Michael addition cross-linking strategy. Reprinted with permission from Wang et al. Copyright 2017 of American Chemical Society.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
The hybrid dendrimer hydrogel/nanoparticle platform. Reprinted with permission from Yang et al. Copyright 2012 of American Chemical Society.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Schematic illustration of the preparation of dendrimer gel particles of various sizes by using the invert emulsion method coupled with aza-Michael addition reaction. Figure modified and reprinted with permission from Wang et al. Copyright 2021 of Elsevier.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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