Association of Hydrotropic Dendrimers in Aqueous Solution: Effects on Solubilization of Poorly Soluble Drugs

摘要

Dendrimers are nano-sized, highly branched macromolecules with monodispersed characteristics, and are derived from the Greek words dendron (tree) and meros (part). Due to the nano-sized spherical shape and multivalent surface functionalities, they have been used as a host of biomimetic and nanotechnological applications. Encapsulation of hydrophobic compounds in dendrimers has been extensively studied for drug delivery. Especially, biocompatible and/or biodegradable dendrimers have been applied to controlled-release systems and tissue scaffolds. Although many researchers have focused on encapsulation of small guest molecules into the dendritic core, the self-assembling property of dendrimers in solution has not been studied yet.