Dendrimer-based therapeutics in neurological disorders: Innovations and clinical prospects.

The incidence of brain tumors and other neurodegenerative diseases has been increasing, whereas the treatment opportunities are limited. Brain delivery of the therapeutics has been restricted because of the presence of blood-brain barrier (BBB). Only molecules of molecular weight <400 Da and lipid-soluble are able to cross the BBB making it hard for the treatment. This demands the development of effective nano-carriers that can penetrate the BBB and deliver the therapeutics more efficiently and site specifically. Dendrimers are highly branched polymers having unique structural and functional properties, emerging as the promising carriers for delivering chemotherapy and gene therapy to the central nervous system (CNS). This review comprehensively explores the development of dendrimers, mechanisms in delivering therapeutic agents to the brain across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the progress over past years in utilizing the dendrimers for brain delivery of therapeutics.