Dendrimer–Based Drug Delivery Systems: From Theory to Practice

The opportunities and challenges of using dendrimers to improvedrug delivery

Among pharmaceutical and biomedical researchers, the use ofdendrimers in drug delivery systems has attracted increasinginterest. In particular, researchers have noted that the volume ofa dendrimer increases when it has a positive charge. If thisproperty can be applied effectively, dendrimers have enormouspotential in drug delivery systems, directly supplying medicationto targeted human organs.

With contributions from an international team of pioneers andexperts in dendrimer research, this book provides a comprehensiveoverview of the latest research efforts in designing and optimizingdendrimer–based drug delivery systems. The book analyzes keyissues, demonstrating the critical connections that linkfundamental concepts, design, synthesis, analytical methodology,and biological assessment to the practical use of dendrimers indrug delivery applications. Topics covered include:

Dendrimer–Based Drug Delivery Systems reflects theauthors′ thorough review and analysis of the current literature aswell as their own firsthand experience in the lab. Readers will notonly discover the current state of the science, but also gainvaluable insights into fruitful directions for future research.References at the end of each chapter serve as a gateway to thegrowing body of literature in the field, enabling readers toexplore each individual topic in greater depth.

Pharmaceutical and biomedical researchers will find this book aunique and essential guide to the opportunities, issues, andchallenges involved in fully exploiting the potential of dendrimersto improve drug delivery.

Foreword vii
Donald A. Tomalia

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xi

Contributors xiii

About the Editor xvii

1 Dendrimer Chemistry: Supramolecular Perspectives andApplications 1
Charles N. Moorefield, Sujith Perera, and George R.Newkome

2 Physicochemical Properties of Dendrimers and DendrimerComplexes 55
Toyoko Imae

3 The Use of Dendrimers to Optimize the Physicochemical andTherapeutic Properties of Drugs 93
Nicole Stieger, Wilna Liebenberg, Marique E. Aucamp, andMelgardt M. de Villiers

4 Biological Properties of Phosphorus Dendrimers 139
Anne–Marie Caminade and Jean–Pierre Majoral

5 Dendrimer–Based Prodrugs: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation157
Mohammad Najlah, Zhengyuan Zhou, and AntonyD Emanuele

6 Improving the Biocompatibility of Dendrimers in Drug Delivery207
Yiwen Li, Libo Zhao, and Yiyun Cheng

7 Degradable Dendrimers for Drug Delivery 239
Marc Gingras and Myriam Roy

8 Design of Stimuli–Responsive Dendrimers for BiomedicalPurposes 307
Chie Kojima

9 Dendrimer–Based Gene Delivery Systems: Administration Routesand In Vivo Evaluation 329
Santander–Ortega M.J., Uchegbu I.F., and Scha¨tzleinA.G.

10 Triazine Dendrimers for DNA and siRNA Delivery: Progress,Challenges, and Opportunities 355
Meredith A. Mintzer, Olivia M. Merkel, Thomas Kissel, and EricE. Simanek

11 Dendrimer–Coated Carbohydrate Residues as Drug DeliveryTrojan Horses in Glycoscience 407
Yoann M. Chabre and Rene´ Roy

12 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Techniques in the Analysis ofPamam Dendrimer–Based Drug Delivery Systems 439
Xueyan Feng, Kun Yang, Jingjing Hu, Tongwen Xu, and YiyunCheng

13 Dendrimer–Based Medical Nanodevices for Magnetic ResonanceImaging Applications 463
Hongdong Cai, Mingwu Shen, and Xiangyang Shi

14 Dendrimer–Related Nanoparticle System for Computed TomographyImaging 479
Chen Peng and Xiangyang Shi

Index 501

YIYUN CHENG, PhD, is a Full Professor of BiomedicalEngineering at the School of Life Science of East China NormalUniversity. His research interests focus on the biomedicalapplications of dendrimers and other dendritic polymers. Dr. Chenghas published more than forty peer–reviewed manuscripts in suchjournals as Nature Materials, Chemical Society Reviews, andJournal of the American Chemical Society.

This book should be particularly valuable for everyoneworking in the dendrimer area, but also for researchers in drugdelivery and pharmaceutical sciences more generally. To my mind, itis clearly a book to have on your shelf!.  (ChemMedChem, 1 March 2013)