ABSTRACT
Dendritic polymers including dendrimers, dendrons, hyperbranched polymers, and dendrigrafts are a unique class of synthetic macromolecules. They possess beneficial properties that make them ideal for use in the development of drug delivery systems. This entry briefly discusses the various aspects of dendritic polymers and their use in drug delivery systems. However, the cationic surfaces of their carriers show cytotoxicity that can be improved via different functionalization and nonfunctionalization methods. This entry also describes the potential applications of dendritic delivery vehicles in the field of oral, ocular, transdermal, targeted, pulmonary, and gene delivery systems.
