title: Dendrimers as a promising tool in ocular therapeutics: Latest advances and perspectives.
abstract: Dendrimers have called the attention of scientists in the area of drug and gene delivery over the last two decades for their versatility, complexity and multibranching properties. Some strategies for optimizing drug pharmacokinetics and site-specific targeting using dendrimers have been proposed. Among them, those related to treating and managing ocular diseases are of special interest. Ocular therapies suffer from significant disadvantages, including frequent administration, poor penetration and/or rapid elimination. This review provides an overview of the recent and promising progress in the dendrimers field, focusing on both the anterior and posterior segments of the eye ocular targets, the use of dendrimers as a strategy for overcoming obstacles to the traditional treatment of ocular diseases and an outlook on future directions. Finally, a first approach to ocular safety with dendrimers is intended that accounts for the state-of-the-art science to date.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Sciences Department, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology Unit, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona (Autovía A-II) Km. 33,600, 28805, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: javier.rodriguezv@edu.uah.es.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodríguez Villanueva
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Sciences Department, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology Unit, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona (Autovía A-II) Km. 33,600, 28805, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Manuel Guzmán
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rodríguez Villanueva
mesh_terms: D060433:Administration, Ophthalmic; D000818:Animals; D050091:Dendrimers / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D050091:Dendrimers; D004337:Drug Carriers; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations
keywords: Complexation; Dendrimers; Encapsulation; Safety; Targeting; Transfectants