Citation: Rai, D.B.; Medicherla, K.; Pooja, D.; Kulhari, H. Dendrimer- Mediated Delivery of Anticancer Drugs for Colon Cancer Treatment. Pharmaceutics 2023, 15, 801. https://doi.org/10.3390/ pharmaceutics15030801 Academic Editors: Gema Marcelo, Milena A. Vega and Celia Nieto Received: 1 December 2022 Revised: 17 February 2023 Accepted: 19 February 2023 Published: 1 March 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). pharmaceutics Review Dendrimer-Mediated Delivery of Anticancer Drugs for Colon Cancer Treatment Divya Bharti Rai 1 , Kanakaraju Medicherla 2 , Deep Pooja 3, * and Hitesh Kulhari 1, * 1 School of Nano Sciences, Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar 382030, Gujarat, India 2 Department of Human Genetics, College of Science and Technology, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam 530003, Andhra Pradesh, India 3 School of Pharmacy, National Forensic Science University, Gandhinagar 382007, Gujarat, India * Correspondence: d.dpooja00@gmail.com (D.P.); hitesh.kulhari@cug.ac.in (H.K.) Abstract: The third most common cancer worldwide is colon cancer (CC). Every year, there more cases are reported, yet there are not enough effective treatments. This emphasizes the need for new drug delivery strategies to increase the success rate and reduce side effects. Recently, a lot of trials have been done for developing natural and synthetic medicines for CC, among which the nanoparticle-based approach is the most trending. Dendrimers are one of the most utilized nanomaterials that are accessible and offer several benefits in the chemotherapy-based treatment of CC by improving the stability, solubility, and bioavailability of drugs. They are highly branched polymers, making it simple to conjugate and encapsulate medicines. Dendrimers have nanoscale features that enable the differentiation of inherent metabolic disparities between cancer cells and healthy cells, enabling the passive targeting of CC. Moreover, dendrimer surfaces can be easily functionalized to improve the specificity and enable active targeting of colon cancer. Therefore, dendrimers can be explored as smart nanocarriers for CC chemotherapy. Keywords: colon cancer; dendrimers; drug delivery; passive targeting; active targeting 1. Introduction Among various types of cancer worldwide, colon cancer (CC) is among the top five cancers both in males and females. It appears as a malignant tumor in the colon mucosa, which originates in the gut lumen of the intestine and, if left untreated, can spread into the muscle and serosa that lie beneath the gut wall [1]. The main risk factors include age, personal history, family history, and racial and cultural background. Only a small percentage of CC cases are linked to underlying genetic diseases; the majority are caused by lifestyle factors and aging. Overall, 10% of new cases diagnosed globally and 9.4% of cancer- related mortalities are caused by CC, estimated at around 6 lakhs fatalities each year [2]. Oncologists frequently use traditional treatment modalities such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy to cure CC. Surgical resection of CC involves the elimination of malignant cell mass along with a portion of adjacent normal tissue. The majority of colorectal cancer patients receive this therapy. Additionally, a portion of the healthy and any adjacent lymph nodes will be removed. Pain and discomfort in the surgical area are typically adverse consequences after surgery. Constipation or diarrhea also results after the procedure due to bowel obstruction. On the other hand, X-rays of strong intensity are employed in radiation therapy to destroy cancer cells. Fatigue, moderate skin responses, stomach distress, and loose or bloody stools are all possible side effects of this therapy. Moreover, after pelvic radiation therapy, sexual health issues and infertility (the inability to conceive) might develop. Chemotherapy is the procedure of killing cancer cells, inhibiting their growth, division, and production of new cancer cells. Typical chemotherapeutics involves systemic administration intravenously, preventing the generation from treating CC, and distributing medication to both desired Pharmaceutics 2023, 15, 801. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics15030801 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/pharmaceutics