Narrative review examines PAMAM dendrimers as carriers of natural compounds for breast cancer preclinical applications

Breast cancer is among the most prevalent cancers in women and leads to significant mortality worldwide. It remains a global health issue, affecting millions of women annually despite progress in diagnosis and treatment. Advanced-stage breast cancer often lacks effective treatments, and drug resistance commonly contributes to poor patient outcomes. This highlights an urgent need to develop new therapeutic alternatives that are more effective, less toxic, and more affordable. Many medicinal plants are rich sources of novel bioactive compounds, offering valuable sources for exploring antitumor potential. While these natural compounds have shown promise in preclinical studies, challenges related to stability, solubility and bioavailability have limited their clinical use. To overcome these limitations, poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers have emerged as a leading type of nanocarrier. These nanoscale molecules which range in size (~1–100 nm) and configuration, offer a promising strategy for treating various cancers, including breast cancer. This review aims to critically examine the recent studies on the development of PAMAM dendrimers as carriers of natural compounds and evaluated their anticancer potential in preclinical models. Unlike previous reviews, this review uniquely summarizes PAMAM dendrimers for delivery of natural compounds specifically in breast cancer. It also highlighted key areas for future research and potential approaches to advancing PAMAM dendrimers as effective delivery systems for plant-based therapeutics.