Targeted Therapy: Dendrimer‐Triamcinolone Acetonide Reduces Neuroinflammation, Pathological Angiogenesis, and Neuroretinal Dysfunction in Ischemic Retinopathy (Adv. Therap. 2/2021)

Abstract

Specific and robust targeting of pathogenic cells would represent a major advance in treatment of eye diseases including diabetic retinopathy. In article number 2000181 Rangaramanujam M. Kannan, Elia J. Duh and co-workers use the corticosteroid triamcinolone conjugated to the surface of PAMAM-dendrimers, which are tree-like branching polymeric nanoparticles. This dendrimer-triamcinolone conjugate selectively targets activated, amoeboid microglia in diseased retina, reprogramming them to quiescent ramified microglia, with resulting neuroprotective effects and suppression of pathologic retinal angiogenesis. Dendrimer-mediated drug delivery to pathogenic microglia represents a promising therapeutic strategy with high potency and low toxicity. Image credit: Sylvia Heredia