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Pharmaceutics
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Dendrimers in Nanomedicine: Recent Advances
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Dendrimers in Nanomedicine: Recent Advances

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 16 January 2027 | Viewed by 2095

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Anne-Marie Caminade

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination du CNRS, 205 Route de Narbonne, 31077 Toulouse, CEDEX 4, France
Interests: dendrimers; dendrons; nanotechnology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Dendrimers are hyperbranched globular macromolecules of nanometric size; they are synthesized stepwise, most generally by the repetition of two quantitative reactions, with one of them ensuring the multiplication of the number of terminal functions. Most of the properties of dendrimers depend on the nature of these terminal functions, which can be neutral, or positively or negatively charged, and tuned as desired to fulfill the requested properties.

Many dendrimers are specifically engineered to display pharmaceutical properties. They are usable in different areas, such as diagnosis, imaging, drug delivery, and other improved types of delivery, drug therapy, and nanomedicine in general. Many different pathologies are concerned, such as cancers, inflammations, infections, and degenerative diseases, in particular neurodegenerative diseases, tissues, bones, cartilages reconstructions, etc.

This Special Issue aims to collate recent advances in all the abovementioned fields, and in related fields, including molecular simulations, toxicity studies, pharmacokinetic studies, regulatory studies, and clinical studies focused on dendrimers and dendritic structures.

Dr. Anne-Marie Caminade
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceutics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • dendrimers
  • dendritic nanostructures
  • biological properties
  • diagnosis
  • imaging agents
  • carriers
  • drug delivery
  • drug therapy
  • nanomedicine

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 906 KB  
Article
Effect of the BD132 Dendron Against Candida tropicalis: Inhibition of Biofilm Formation and Enzymatic and Structural Alterations
by Eloísa García-Porcel, Natalia Gómez-Casanova, Jorge Pérez-Serrano, José Luis Copa-Patiño and Irene Heredero-Bermejo
Pharmaceutics 2026, 18(5), 583; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics18050583 (registering DOI) - 9 May 2026
Abstract
Background: Candida tropicalis is a pathogenic yeast species responsible for infections within the Candida genus and is identified as the most virulent species after C. albicans, partly due to its ability to form biofilms. Objective: This study analyzes the antifungal [...] Read more.
Background: Candida tropicalis is a pathogenic yeast species responsible for infections within the Candida genus and is identified as the most virulent species after C. albicans, partly due to its ability to form biofilms. Objective: This study analyzes the antifungal efficacy of a newly synthesized dendron, BD132 dendron, against C. tropicalis. Results: The compound showed a strong antifungal activity with promising minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) values. Combination therapy with AgNO3 and amphotericin B showed additive and synergistic effects, respectively, enhancing antifungal efficacy and potentially reducing cytotoxicity. The dendron did not alter key enzyme activities, and scanning electron microscopy revealed significant morphological alterations, including increased cell size and surface damage, indicating membrane disruption. In addition, the BD132 dendron did not induce resistance, and stability studies indicated a slight MIC decrease at 4 °C and −20 °C after 15 days, with stable minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC), suggesting potential for long-term use. Conclusions: These findings highlight the potential of this dendron in combination therapies to treat C. tropicalis infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dendrimers in Nanomedicine: Recent Advances)
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17 pages, 1981 KB  
Article
Tailoring the Design of Dendritic Thermogels Through Carbosilane and Polyglycerol Crosslinkers
by Judith Recio-Ruiz, Boonya Thongrom, F. Javier de la Mata, Rainer Haag and Sandra García-Gallego
Pharmaceutics 2026, 18(3), 362; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics18030362 - 13 Mar 2026
Viewed by 619
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The development of stimuli-responsive hydrogels for biomedical uses is an intense field of research. The use of dendritic crosslinkers can enhance the control over the structure and properties of the networks. This work presents a comparative study on the design and evaluation [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The development of stimuli-responsive hydrogels for biomedical uses is an intense field of research. The use of dendritic crosslinkers can enhance the control over the structure and properties of the networks. This work presents a comparative study on the design and evaluation of Pluronic L35 thermogels, incorporating either hydrophobic carbosilane dendrimers (CBS, generations 1 to 3) or hydrophilic dendritic polyglycerols (dPG, 10 k) as crosslinkers. Methods: The thermogels were synthesized via UV-initiated thiol–ene click chemistry. Additionally, they were characterized through swelling studies, mechanical properties, degradation kinetics as well as loading and release studies of the antitumor drug doxorubicin as poorly soluble model cargo. Results: The incorporation of dendritic crosslinkers allowed higher control over the crosslinking process, while the amphiphilic polymer imparted temperature-responsive properties to the resulting networks. Remarkable differences were observed in swelling behavior, mechanical properties and degradation kinetics, depending on the nature of the dendritic crosslinker. Additionally, regarding doxorubicin loading and release in water, CBS hydrogels produced a sustained release over one week, led by network swelling, while dPG hydrogels exhibited a burst release in 4–24 h but were limited by the stronger interaction of DOX with the dPG scaffold. Conclusions: The study provided useful insight for the tailoring of dendritic thermogels for specific biomedical uses such as controlled drug delivery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dendrimers in Nanomedicine: Recent Advances)
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12 pages, 3867 KB  
Communication
Heterofunctional Cationic Polyester Dendrimers as Potent Nonviral Vectors for siRNA Delivery
by Arunika Singh, Ángel Buendía, Irene Rodríguez-Clemente, Natalia Sanz del Olmo, Valentín Ceña and Michael Malkoch
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(11), 1476; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17111476 - 16 Nov 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Heterofunctional cationic polyester dendrimers derived from a 2-(bromomethyl)-2-(hydroxymethyl)propane-1,3-diol (BHP-diol) based AB2C monomer were evaluated as efficient and biodegradable nonviral carriers for siRNA delivery. Methods: These dendrimers feature dual internal and external charge architectures, enabling precise control of charge [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Heterofunctional cationic polyester dendrimers derived from a 2-(bromomethyl)-2-(hydroxymethyl)propane-1,3-diol (BHP-diol) based AB2C monomer were evaluated as efficient and biodegradable nonviral carriers for siRNA delivery. Methods: These dendrimers feature dual internal and external charge architectures, enabling precise control of charge distribution and siRNA interaction strength. Results: They achieved complete siRNA complexation at nitrogen-to-phosphate (N/P) ratios of 0.50–2.14 and provided up to 93% RNase protection, outperforming amino-functional scaffolds based on 2,2-bis(methylol)propionic acid (bis-MPA). In human (T98G) and murine (GL261) glioblastoma cells, the dendrimers exhibited minimal cytotoxicity while achieving 52–61% target protein knockdown, a two- to three-fold improvement over conventional polyester dendrimers, and approaching the silencing efficiency of the commercial Interferin® reagent. Conclusions: The combination of high complexation efficiency, strong nuclease resistance, and excellent biocompatibility establishes these heterofunctional dendrimers as a new generation of precisely tunable, biodegradable vectors for therapeutic siRNA delivery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dendrimers in Nanomedicine: Recent Advances)
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