The development of effective drug delivery systems is a crusial task for modern medicine. The main problem is the occurrence of non-specific toxicity leading to undesirable side effects in vivo.This article aims at reviewing resent research on the toxicity of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers in vivo. The research results show that the toxicity of PAMAM dendrimers and modified nanoparticles depends both on the characteristics of the particles themselves (size, generation and surface charge) and on the administration parameters. It has been shown that cationic PAMAM dendrimers of small and medium generations are non-toxic in vivo when administered intravenously and intraperitoneally to mice at doses up to 10 mg/kg. In turn, anionic, neutral, and modified PAMAM dendrimers do not exhibit toxicity, regardless of the route of administration. Thus, by varying methods of administration, the dose, and modifying the surface of dendrimers, the decrease in toxicity can be achieved, promising a path towards their successfully aplication as drug carriers.

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Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers and amphiphilic dendrons are one of the types of nanomaterials characterized by a hyperbranched structure of polymer branches. In the case of dendrimers, the dendrons are covalently linked at the central focal point. In the case of amphiphilic dendrons, dendrons are non-covalently linked by hydrophobic interactions, forming micellar structures. These nanoparticles are widely used in biology and medicine as contrast agents, carriers of drugs and genetic material. Their use in scientific practice requires an understanding of the basic mechanisms of their interaction with membranes – the main obstacle to the entry of dendrimers into the cell. This review discusses the regularities of the interaction of dendrimers and amphiphilic dendrons with lipid membranes. Various models of dendrimer-membrane interactions are described as the basis for the penetration of dendrimers and amphiphilic nanoparticles into cells. Keywords: polyamidoamine dendrimers, amphiphilic dendrons, lipid membranes, cells, antitumor therapeutics, antibacterial agents, diagnostics, genetic therapy.