Dendrimers are the emerging polymeric architectures that are known for their defined structures, versatility in drug delivery and high functionality whose properties resemble with biomolecules. These nanostructured macromolecules have shown their potential abilities in entrapping and/or conjugating the high molecular weight hydrophilic/hydrophobic entities by host-guest interactions and covalent bonding (prodrug approach) respectively. Moreover, high ratio of surface groups to molecular volume has made them a promising synthetic vector for gene delivery. Owing to these properties dendrimers have fascinated the researchers in the development of new drug carriers and they have been implicated in many therapeutic and biomedical applications. Despite of their extensive applications, their use in biological systems is limited due to toxicity issues associated with them. Considering this, the present review has focused on the different strategies of their synthesis, drug delivery and targeting, gene delivery and other biomedical applications, interactions involved in formation of drug-dendrimer complex along with characterization techniques employed for their evaluation, toxicity problems and associated approaches to alleviate their inherent toxicity.

Oral delivery is the most accepted and economical route for drug administration and leads to substantial reduction in dosing frequency. However, this route still remains a challenge for the pharmaceutical industry due to poorly soluble and permeable drugs leading to poor oral bioavailability. Incorporating bioactives into nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) has helped in boosting their therapeutic functionality and prolonged release from these carrier systems thus providing improved pharmacokinetic parameters. The present review provides an overview of noteworthy studies reporting impending benefits of NLCs in oral delivery and highlights recent advancements for developing engineered NLCs either by conjugating polymers over their surface or modifying their charge to overcome the mucosal barrier of GI tract for active transport across intestinal membrane. Oral delivery is the most accepted and economical route for drug administration and leads to substantial reduction in dosing frequency. However, this ro... Lay abstract Oral administration of drugs is considered to be a convenient route; however, various drugs that are insoluble in water or unable to permeate across GI tract membrane cannot be delivered by this route. To deliver them effectively, various lipid carriers have been widely explored by researchers. Lipid carriers encapsulate drug inside them and deliver them effectively via the oral route. Also, encapsulation of drug protects them from degradation inside GI tract and safely delivers them to the site of action. This review summarizes application of lipid carriers, in other words, nanostructured lipid carriers, in eradicating these problems, with suitable examples.

Nanotechnology continues to achieve tremendous awards in therapeutics, but the economical and ecofriendly production of nanoparticles (NPs) is still in infancy, simply due to the nanotoxicity, unprecedented health hazards and scale up issues. Green nanotechnology was introduced in the quest to mitigate such risks by utilizing natural resources as biological tool for NP synthesis. The key advantages offered by green approach include lower capital and operating expenses, reduced environmental impacts, superior biocompatibility and higher stability. In this review, we shed light on the biosynthesis of therapeutic NPs along with their numerous biomedical applications. Toxicity aspects of NPs and the impact of green approach on it, is also discussed briefly.