Perylene-Cored Dendrimers for Biomedical Applications: A MiniReview

Perylene diimide and related rylene carboxyimide chromophores have emerged as promising building blocks for theranostic cancer agents due to their exceptional photophysical properties, as well as their capacity to mediate both photothermal and photodynamic therapy. Integration of these chromophores into dendritic architectures or dendrimer-based hybrid nanoplatforms provides additional advantages such as control over size, surface functionality, aggregation behavior, and multimodal imaging/therapy capabilities. This review highlights recent advances in the design and synthetic strategy of perylene containing dendrimers and hybrids; examines how molecular structure influences photophysical properties relevant to imaging and therapy; surveys emerging in vitro and in vivo applications in photothermal and photodynamic therapies.