Table 4.

Representative dendrimers in biomedical applications.

Dendrimer	Application	Main Features	Reference
PAMAM	Diagnostic probe; Anti-cancer and antimetastatic agent	PAMAM dendrimers labeled with radioactive 131I and modified with LyP-1 peptides, allow conjugates to target tumors. Used in SPECT imaging, radionuclide therapy, and as an antimetastatic agent.	[165]
PAMAM	Drug delivery	Hyaluronic acid terminated surface deshielded through MMP-2 cleavable linkages at tumor sites. Dendrimer size shrinks from ~200 to ~10 nm, promoting EPR effect, facilitating cellular uptake.	[131]
PAMAM	Gene transfection	Aptamer S6 against A549 lung carcinoma screened and selected by cell-SELEX.	[166]
PAMAM	Nanoprobe	Highly sensitive to dynamic cellular sodium changes, and encapsulates fluorescent dyes.	[160]
PEGylated PAMAM	Nanoprobe	MR/CT dual-mode imaging, Dendrimers encapsulate AuNPs for CT imaging, and chelate with Mn(II) for high contrast abilities. Functionalization with RGD peptides leads to avb3 integrin targeting.	[167]
PEG PAMAM	Fibrous bio-catalyst	PAMAM or PEG dendrimers grafted on polyester fabrics activated through plasma treatments, followed by immobilization of glucose oxidase enzyme.	[168]
dPGS PCL	Drug delivery	Sheddable dPGS shell selectively binds L-selection. Intrinsic targeting ability to inflammatory and tumor sites. GSH-cleavable disulfide bonds provide controlled drug release. The first study showing that dPGS could be a potential alternative to PEG.	[84]
Polyglycerol	Fluorescent probe	Polyglycerol dendrimers were conjugated to a BODIPY core for single-molecule imaging.	[169]
DNA	Nanosensor	Butyrylcholinesterase and fluorescein-conjugated with DNA dendrimers, generating dendritic scaffolds, act as selective nanosensors for acetylcholine. Butyrylcholinesterase enzymes selectively hydrolyze acetylcholine and lower local pH, followed by detection of the pH-sensitive fluorescent indicator in a single synapse.	[164]
Amino acid	Enzyme model; Drug delivery	Dendritic peptides used as models of natural enzymes. The globular shape mimics protein structure and shows catalytic activity.	[170]