title: Stimuli-responsive dendrimers in drug delivery.
abstract: Dendrimers have shown great promise as carriers in drug delivery due to their unique structures and superior properties. However, the precise control of payload release from a dendrimer matrix still presents a great challenge. Stimuli-responsive dendrimers that release payloads in response to a specific trigger could offer distinct clinical advantages over those dendrimers that release payloads passively. These smart polymers are designed to specifically release their payloads at targeted regions or at constant release profiles for specific therapies. They represent an attractive alternative to targeted dendrimers and enable dendrimer-based therapeutics to be more effective, more convenient, and much safer. The wide range of stimuli, either endogenous (acid, enzyme, and redox potentials) or exogenous (light, ultrasound, and temperature change), allows great flexibility in the design of stimuli-responsive dendrimers. In this review article, we will highlight recent advances and opportunities in the development of stimuli-responsive dendrimers for the treatment of various diseases, with emphasis on cancer. Specifically, the applications of stimuli-responsive dendrimers in drug delivery as well as their mechanisms are intensively reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, PR China. yycheng@mail.ustc.edu.cn and Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, PR China. jianruxiao@163.com.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, PR China. jianruxiao@163.com.
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, PR China. yycheng@mail.ustc.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, PR China. jianruxiao@163.com.
authors.forename: Jianru
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, PR China. yycheng@mail.ustc.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yiyun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D050091:Dendrimers; D004337:Drug Carriers; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D050091:Dendrimers; D004337:Drug Carriers; D011108:Polymers