Poly (propylene imine) dendrimer as an emerging polymeric nanocarrier for anticancer drug and gene delivery

Dendrimers are well-defined globular macromolecules with multiple polymeric branching that are amenable to undergo structural modifications. This property makes dendrimers dynamic nanocarriers capable of entrapping and delivering high-molecular weight hydrophobic/hydrophilic drugs, antibodies, or any therapeutic gene. The setbacks of conventional techniques to deliver drugs with higher efficacy has led to the use of nanomedicines including dendrimers. Poly(amidoamine) dendrimers (PAMAM) and poly (propylene imine) dendrimers (PPI) dendrimers have been vehicles of interest amongst scientists for use in cancer therapy. The outer surface of these novel drug vehicles can be modified, complexed, and linked with different tumor markers and ligands to enable targeted delivery of the drug/nucleotide moiety to the specific tumor site. Various PPI dendrimer types can be designed to incorporate and deliver antineoplastic drugs either in free form or in conjugation with another drug or therapeutic nucleotide (siRNA/DNA). Promising results have been obtained in in vivo/in vitro studies on various cancerous cell lines and grafted animal models. The findings have indicated the potential benefits of multifunctional dendrimers in terms of controlled release, improved tumor penetration and bioavailability, greater gene transfection efficiency, and reduced adverse effects. Moreover, PPI dendrimers are also being investigated for their use as nano-mediators and immune-biosensors. PPI dendrimers can be fabricated with cancer biomarkers and then utilized as biosensors for early detection of many types of cancer at different stages. This review consolidates studies on different types of anticancer drug loaded in PPI dendrimers as well as PPI-immunobiosensors that are currently being explored for better cancer diagnosis and targeting.

Automated summary

Dendrimers are versatile nanocarriers capable of delivering drugs, antibodies, or therapeutic genes, with potential benefits in cancer therapy. Particularly, PPI dendrimers can be customized for targeted drug delivery to specific tumor sites, enhancing efficacy and reducing adverse effects.