Dendrimers: novel polymeric nanoarchitectures for solubility enhancement

Poor solubility and hydrophobicity of drugs/bioactives limit their possible applications in drug delivery and formulation development. Apart from conventional methods of solubility enhancement, there are some novel methods which can be used in solubilization. Dendrimers represent a novel type of polymeric material that has generated much interest in many diverse areas due to their unique structure and properties. Dendrimer-mediated solubility enhancement mainly depends on factors such as generation size, dendrimer concentration, pH, core, temperature, and terminal functionality. Added advantage in solubilization can be achieved considering these factors. Available literature suggests that ionic interaction, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic interactions are the possible mechanisms by which a dendrimer exerts its solubilizing property. This review presents various mechanisms and reports relating to solubility enhancement using dendrimers. Also, micellar behavior and future possibilities in relation to solubilization via dendrimers are included.