Design of stimuli-responsive dendrimers.

IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Dendrimers are synthetic macromolecules with well-defined structures, many terminal functional groups, and an inner space to hold small molecules. These properties make them potential drug carriers. Recently, stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems have become attractive because of the reduction of side effects and maximum expression of drug action. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: This paper reviews dendrimer nanoparticles that are sensitive to temperature, light, pH and redox state. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: Strategies to design these dendritic polymers are provided in this review. TAKE HOME MESSAGE: By adding stimuli-responsive properties to the dendrimers, dendritic polymers capable of controlled release can be produced. These stimuli-responsive dendrimers are a potential next generation drug carrier.