Dendrimers in Corneal Drug Delivery: Recent Developments and Translational Opportunities

Pharmaceutics. 2023 May 25;15(6):1591. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15061591.

Abstract

Dendrimers are biocompatible organic nanomaterials with unique physicochemical properties, making them the focus of recent research in drug delivery. The cornea of the human eye presents a challenge for drug transit due to its inherently impenetrable nature, requiring nanocarrier-mediated targeted drug delivery. This review intends to examine recent advancements in the use of dendrimers for corneal drug delivery, including their properties and their potential for treating various ocular diseases. The review will also highlight the benefit of the novel technologies that have been developed and applied in the field, such as corneal targeting, drug release kinetics, treatments for dry eye disease, antibacterial drug delivery, corneal inflammation, and corneal tissue engineering. The review seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of research in this field, along with the translational developments in the field of dendrimer-based therapeutics and imaging agents and inspire the potential for future developments and translational opportunities in dendrimers based corneal drug delivery.

Keywords: barriers to corneal delivery; corneal diseases; corneal drug delivery; corneal tissue engineering; dendrimer; nanotechnology; targeting.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

This research is funded by a non-restricted funding from Research Prevention of Blindness to Wilmer Eye Institute.