Dendritic Polyglycerols for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

The application of nanotechnology in medicine and pharmaceuticals is a rapidly advancing field that is quickly gaining acceptance and recognition as an independent area of research called "nanomedicine". Urgent needs in this field, however, are biocompatible and bioactive materials for antifouling surfaces and nanoparticles for drug delivery. Therefore, extensive attention has been given to the design and development of new macromolecular structures. Among the various polymeric architectures, dendritic ("treelike") polymers have experienced an exponential development due to their highly branched, multifunctional, and well-defined structures. This Review describes the diverse syntheses and biomedical applications of dendritic polyglycerols (PGs). These polymers exhibit good chemical stability and inertness under biological conditions and are highly biocompatible. Oligoglycerols and their fatty acid esters are FDA-approved and are already being used in a variety of consumer applications, e.g., cosmetics and toiletries, food industries, cleaning and softening agents, pharmaceuticals, polymers and polymer additives, printing photographing materials, and electronics. Herein, we present the current status of dendritic PGs as functional dendritic architectures with particular focus on their application in nanomedicine, in drug, dye, and gene delivery, as well as in regenerative medicine in the form of non-fouling surfaces and matrix materials.

Towards engineering of self-assembled nanostructures using non-ionic dendritic amphiphiles

“…Nonionic amphiphiles are of particular interest for biomedical applications. [7][8][9][10] In recent times much attention has been focused on a new category of amphiphilic systems, dendritic amphiphiles, for use as functional supramolecular materials. 11,12 Dendritic amphiphiles with well-defined structures lie at the interface of classical surfactants and amphiphilic polymers in terms of their structure, and their self-assembly result in well-defined and persistent [13][14][15] nanostructures.…”

Hyperbranched Polyglycerol is an Efficacious and Biocompatible Novel Osmotic Agent in a Rodent Model of Peritoneal Dialysis

“…Hyperbranched polyglycerol can be precisely synthesized over a wide range of molecular weights and is chemically stable as a narrow distributed polymer in aqueous solution (11)(12)(13). It is highly hydrophilic and water-soluble (>400 mg/mL), with a very low intrinsic viscosity (4 -7 mL g -1 ), and therefore large amounts of the polymer can easily be dissolved in water (13,14).…”

Nanoparticle-cored dendrimers: functional hybrid nanocomposites as a new platform for drug delivery systems

“…77 In particular, NPs have been developed as an important strategy to deliver conventional drugs, proteins, vaccines or nucleic acids like DNA or RNA. Drug delivery nanosystems should provide positive attributes to a 'free' drug by improving solubility, in vivo stability, and biodistribution.…”