Synthesis and functional evaluation of DNA-assembled polyamidoamine dendrimer clusters for cancer cell-specific targeting

We sought to produce dendrimers conjugated to different biofunctional moieties (fluorescein [FITC] and folic acid [FA]), and then link them together using complementary DNA oligonucleotides to produce clustered molecules that target cancer cells that overexpress the high-affinity folate receptor. Amine-terminated, generation 5 polyamidoamine (G5 PAMAM) dendrimers are first partially acetylated and then conjugated with FITC or FA, followed by the covalent attachment of complementary, 5'-phosphate-modified 34-base-long oligonucleotides. Hybridization of these oligonucleotide conjugates led to the self-assembly of the FITC- and FA-conjugated dendrimers. In vitro studies of the DNA-linked dendrimer clusters indicated specific binding to KB cells expressing the folate receptor. Confocal microscopy also showed the internalization of the dendrimer cluster. These results demonstrate the ability to design and produce supramolecular arrays of dendrimers using oligonucleotide bridges. This will also allow for further development of DNA-linked dendrimer clusters as imaging agents and therapeutics.     

CE of poly(amidoamine) succinamic acid dendrimers using a poly(vinyl alcohol)-coated capillary

Various generations (G1-G8) of negatively charged poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) succinamic acid dendrimers (PAMAM-SAH) were analyzed by CE using a poly(vinyl alcohol)-coated capillary. Due to its excellent stability and osmotic flow-shielding effect, highly reproducible migration times were achieved for all generations of dendrimer (e.g., RSD for the migration times of G5 dendrimer was 0.6%). We also observed a reverse trend in migration times for the PAMAM-SAH dendrimers (i.e., higher generations migrated faster than lower generation dendrimers) compared to amine-terminated PAMAM dendrimers reported in the literature. This reversal in migration times was attributed to the difference in counterion binding around these negatively charged dendrimers. This reverse trend allowed a generational separation for lower generation (G1-G3) dendrimers. However, a sufficient resolution for the migration peaks of higher generations (G4-G5) in a mixture could not be achieved. This could be due to their nearly identical charge/mass ratio and dense molecular conformations. In addition, we show that dye-functionalized PAMAM-SAH dendrimers can also be analyzed with high reproducibility using this method.     

聚酰胺-胺树枝状高分子的柱色谱提纯研究

采用发散法合成了0.5～4.0代(G)聚酰胺-胺(PAMAM)树枝状高分子,通过薄层色谱分析产物组成,并进一步选用柱色谱法对半代产物进行了提纯与精制.用红外,核磁,高效液相色谱(HPLC)和热重分析等方法对提纯后产物进行了表征.结果表明,提纯得到的各PAMAM产物具有较完整的分子结构,小分子含量很少;且0.5GPAMAM产物HPLC测试纯度达到97.81%.     

Low generational polyamidoamine dendrimers to enhance the solubility of folic acid:A‘‘dendritic effect’’investigation

Low generational(G0–G2,G for generation) polyamidoamine(PAMAM) dendrimers were investigated as enhancers to improve the aqueous solubility of folic acid at pH 11 and pH 5.In these two cases,the solubility of folic acid increases with both the dendrimer concentration and generation.However,the solubilization mechanism is different.The electrostatic interaction between the primary amines of dendrimers and the ionized carboxylic groups of folic acid dominates the dissolution process at pH 11 while the increase of the solubility of folic acid at pH 5 is attributed to the hydrophobic encapsulation inside the dendrimer molecules.In addition,for comparison ethylenediamine was used as a small molecule control to examine the ‘‘dendritic effect' in the dendrimer-related solubilization process.Interestingly,PAMAM dendrimers exhibit,at pH 5,a significant superiority over ethylenediamine in enhancing solubility,whereas this ‘‘dendritic effect' cannot be observed under the basic condition.     

Molecular heterogeneity analysis of poly(amidoamine) dendrimer-based mono- and multifunctional nanodevices by capillary electrophoresis

Poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer-based nanodevices are of recent interest in targeted cancer therapy. Characterization of mono- and multifunctional PAMAM-based nanodevices remains a great challenge because of their molecular complexity. In this work, various mono- and multifunctional nanodevices based on PAMAM G5 (generation 5) dendrimer were characterized by UV-Vis spectrometry, (1)H NMR, size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and capillary electrophoresis (CE). CE was extensively utilized to measure the molecular heterogeneity of these PAMAM-based nanodevices. G5-FA (FA denotes folic acid) conjugates (synthesized from amine-terminated G5.NH(2) dendrimer, approach 1) with acetamide and amine termini exhibit bimodal or multi-modal distributions. In contrast, G5-FA and bifunctional G5-FA-MTX (MTX denotes methotrexate) conjugates with hydroxyl termini display a single modal distribution. Multifunctional G5.Ac(n)-FI-FA, G5.Ac(n)-FA-OH-MTX, and G5.Ac(n)-FI-FA-OH-MTX (Ac denotes acetamide; FI denotes fluorescein) nanodevices (synthesized from partially acetylated G5 dendrimer, approach 2) exhibit a monodisperse distribution. It indicates that the molecular distribution of PAMAM conjugates largely depends on the homogeneity of starting materials, the synthetic approaches, and the final functionalization steps. Hydroxylation functionalization of dendrimers masks the dispersity of the final PAMAM nanodevices in both synthetic approaches. The applied CE analysis of mono- and multifunctional PAMAM-based nanodevices provides a powerful tool to evaluate the molecular heterogeneity of complex dendrimer conjugate nanodevices for targeted cancer therapeutics.     

Nanoscale protein pores modified with PAMAM dendrimers

We describe nanoscale protein pores modified with a single hyperbranched dendrimer molecule inside the channel lumen. Sulfhydryl-reactive polyamido amine (PAMAM) dendrimers of generations 2, 3 and 5 were synthesized, chemically characterized, and reacted with engineered cysteine residues in the transmembrane pore alpha-hemolysin. Successful coupling was monitored using an electrophoretic mobility shift assay. The results indicate that G2 and G3 but not G5 dendrimers permeated through the 2.9 nm cis entrance to couple inside the pore. The defined molecular weight cutoff for the passage of hyperbranched PAMAM polymers is in contrast to the less restricted accessibility of flexible linear poly(ethylene glycol) polymers of comparable hydrodynamic volume. Their higher compactness makes sulfhydryl-reactive PAMAM dendrimers promising research reagents to probe the structure of porous membrane proteins with wide internal diameters. The conductance properties of PAMAM-modified proteins pores were characterized with single-channel current recordings. A G3 dendrimer molecule in the channel lumen reduced the ionic current by 45%, indicating that the hyperbranched and positively charged polymer blocked the passage of ions through the pore. In line with expectations, a smaller and less dense G2 dendrimer led to a less pronounced current reduction of 25%. Comparisons to recordings of PEG-modified pores revealed striking dissimilarities, suggesting that differences in the structural dynamics of flexible linear polymers vs compact dendrimers can be observed at the single-molecule level. Current recordings also revealed that dendrimers functioned as ion-selectivity filters and molecular sieves for the controlled passage of molecules. The alteration of pore properties with charged and hyperbranched dendrimers is a new approach and might be extended to inorganic nanopores with applications in sensing and separation technology.     

以枝形大分子聚酰胺-胺(PAMAM)为键合固定相的开管毛细管电色谱柱的制备及评价

用3-氨丙基三乙氧基硅烷(KH550)作偶联剂, 在毛细管内壁上逐步合成树枝形大分子聚酰胺-胺(PAMAM), 制得了1, 2和3代PAMAM键合的开管毛细管电色谱柱, 并对其性能进行了研究. 结果表明, 随着大分子代数的增加, 毛细管电渗流(EOF)逐步下降. 利用制得的1, 2和3代PAMAM修饰的开管毛细管电色谱柱对丙氨酸和脯氨酸的分离进行对比, 结果显示, 随着大分子PAMAM代数的增加, 分离度逐步增大, 丙氨酸和脯氨酸可在3代树枝状大分子PAMAM修饰的开管毛细管电色谱柱上达到基线分离. 采用非衍生化法和3代PAMAM修饰的开管毛细管电色谱柱成功地分析了精氨酸、 丙氨酸、 脯氨酸、 甲硫氨酸和组氨酸. 结果表明, 键合毛细管柱具有良好的重现性和稳定性.     

Synthesis of conjugates of β-cyclodextrin with polyamidoamine dendrimers and their molecular inclusion interaction with levofloxacin lactate

Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers of different generations (G2 and G4) conjugated with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), PAMAM (G2, G4)-CD, were synthesized using substitution reaction from mono-6-iodine-β-cyclodextrin and PAMAM dendrimers. The resulting molecular structures were characterized by NMR, IR. The molecular interaction between various dendrimers and levofloxacin lactate (LFL) were investigated by monitoring the fluorescence of LFL in the presence of dendrimers in buffer solution (pH 7.4) at 25?°C. It was found that the PAMAM (G2, G4)-CD possesses higher sensitizing ability than that of the corresponding parent dendrimers and natural β-CD, and increases concomitantly with the increases of generation and content of β-CD, suggesting that the PAMAM (G2, G4)-CD possesses stronger inclusion ability with LFL. The possible interaction mechanism between PAMAM-CD and LFL was proposed by ¹H NMR analysis and theoretical calculation. The results show that the LFL molecule is located at the amine end of dendrimer molecule and along the side of cyclodextrin cavities to form supramolecular complexes. Furthermore, results indicate that the main driving force of the complex could be attributed to the electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding between LFL and PAMAM-CD, as well as the synergistic effect of intermolecular forces.     

环糊精修饰聚酰胺-胺树状高分子的合成及其与乳酸左氧氟沙星的作用研究

合成了一系列以环糊精修饰的树状高分子化合物PAMAM(G2,G4)-β-CD,用IR,1H-NMR等手段表征了其结构,并采用荧光光谱法对其在缓冲溶液中与乳酸左氧氟沙星(LFL)的相互作用进行了研究.结果表明,经环糊精修饰树状高分子的增敏率远大于未修饰的和天然环糊精,且随代数和环糊精含量的增加而增大,表明其具有强于相同代数PAMAM的分子键合能力,这些强的键合能力源于环糊精修饰树状高分子化合物中两种结构单元的疏水作用、静电作用和氢键作用的协同效应.     

Shape‐Persistent and Adaptive Multivalency: Rigid Transgeden (TGD) and Flexible PAMAM Dendrimers for Heparin Binding

This study investigates transgeden (TGD) dendrimers (polyamidoamine (PAMAM)‐type dendrimers modified with rigid polyphenylenevinylene (PPV) cores) and compares their heparin‐binding ability with commercially available PAMAM dendrimers. Although the peripheral ligands are near‐identical between the two dendrimer families, their heparin binding is very different. At low generation (G1), TGD outperforms PAMAM, but at higher generation (G2 and G3), the PAMAMs are better. Heparin binding also depends strongly on the dendrimer/heparin ratio. We explain these effects using multiscale modelling. TGD dendrimers exhibit “shape‐persistent multivalency”; the rigidity means that small clusters of surface amines are locally well optimised for target binding, but it prevents the overall nanoscale structure from rearranging to maximise its contacts with a single heparin chain. Conversely, PAMAM dendrimers exhibit “adaptive multivalency”; the flexibility means individual surface ligands are not so well optimised locally to bind heparin chains, but the nanostructure can adapt more easily and maximise its binding contacts. As such, this study exemplifies important new paradigms in multivalent biomolecular recognition.     

Polyamidoamine dendrimers surface-engineered with biomimetic phosphorylcholine as potential drug delivery carriers

Biomimetic acryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (APC) was used to react with generation 5 poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) dendrimers (G5) via the Michael addition reaction between primary amino group of PAMAM dendrimers and acrylic functional group of APC. FTIR and (1)H NMR confirmed the success of surface modification of G5. The primary amino and phosphorylcholine (PC) group numbers of the surface engineered PAMAM dendrimers (G5-PC) were calculated to be 56 and 50 via (1)H NMR and potentiometric titration. Cell viability and cell morphology studies indicated that biomimetic phosphorylcholine surface engineering successfully lowered the cytotoxicity of G5 PAMAM dendrimers. The hydrophobic interior of G5-PC was used to incorporate anti-cancer drug Adriamycin (ADR) and the G5-PC showed sustained releasing behavior for ADR. Cell morphology and viability tests indicated that the drug-loaded G5-PC conjugate could effectively enter the cancer cells and inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Biomimetic phosphorylcholine surface engineered PAMAM dendrimers with lowered cytotoxicity and high cellular penetrating ability showed great potential for the biomedical applications as nanocarrier system.     

Impact of PAMAM G2 and G6 dendrimers on bovine serum albumin (fatty acids free and loaded with different fatty acids)

Dendrimers are a new class of nanotechnological polymers suitable for drug targeting, microarray systems or detoxication. The present study is devoted to a detailed analysis of binding between PAMAM dendrimers and bovine serum albumin (fatty acid free or loaded with oleic, linoleic, oleic+linoleic or oleic+linoleic+arachodonic acids) by measuring zeta-potential, fluorescence quenching, fluorescence anisotropy and electron paramagnetic resonance. Addition of PAMAM G2 and G6 dendrimers to protein solutions resulted in attachment to the protein molecule. The PAMAM dendrimers also competed with BSA for fatty acids if two or three fatty acids were loaded per protein. This can lead to the extraction of fatty acids from BSA to the PAMAM dendrimer.     

Dendritic chelating agents. 1. Cu(II) binding to ethylene diamine core poly(amidoamine) dendrimers in aqueous solutions

This paper describes an investigation of the uptake of Cu(II) by poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers with an ethylenediamine (EDA) core in aqueous solutions. We use bench scale measurements of proton and metal ion binding to assess the effects of (i) metal ion-dendrimer loading, (ii) dendrimer generation/terminal group chemistry, and (iii) solution pH on the extent of binding of Cu(II) in aqueous solutions of EDA core PAMAM dendrimers with primary amine, succinamic acid, glycidol, and acetamide terminal groups. We employ extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy to probe the structures of Cu(II) complexes with Gx-NH2 EDA core PAMAM dendrimers in aqueous solutions at pH 7.0. The overall results of the proton and metal ion binding measurements suggest that the uptake of Cu(II) by EDA core PAMAM dendrimers involves both the dendrimer tertiary amine and terminal groups. However, the extents of protonation of these groups control the ability of the dendrimers to bind Cu(II). Analysis of the EXAFS spectra suggests that Cu(II) forms octahedral complexes involving the tertiary amine groups of Gx-NH2 EDA core PAMAM dendrimers at pH 7.0. The central Cu(II) metal ion of each of these complexes appears to be coordinated to 2-4 dendrimer tertiary amine groups located in the equatorial plane and 2 axial water molecules. Finally, we combine the results of our experiments with literature data to formulate and evaluate a phenomenological model of Cu(II) uptake by Gx-NH2 PAMAM dendrimers in aqueous solutions. At low metal ion-dendrimer loadings, the model provides a good fit of the measured extent of binding of Cu(II) in aqueous solutions of G4-NH2 and G5-NH2 PAMAM dendrimers at pH 7.0.     

A simple polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis procedure for separation of polyamidoamine dendrimers

A simple, inexpensive, and rapid electrophoresis technique was developed for use as a routine tool for evaluating purity of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers. A variety of factors influencing migration of generations 0-7 dendrimers on nongradient polyacrylamide gels were evaluated. The low generation dendrimers were found to be very sensitive to diffusion during or after electrophoresis. The proposed method incorporates steps that minimize diffusion, in order to obtain improved resolution and sensitivity, especially for the lower-molecular-weight dendrimers. This was accomplished by inclusion of a dendrimer fixation step with glutaraldehyde and performing the electrophoresis separation, fixation, staining, and destaining at 4 degrees C. PAMAM dendrimer separation was studied under basic and acidic conditions. Electrophoresis under acidic conditions gave increased resolution and sensitivity over separation at alkaline pH. Oligomers and trailing generations could be clearly separated and visualized under these conditions. The smallest PAMAM dendrimer, generation 0, was visible at 1.5 microg under the optimized acidic conditions. With slight modifications, this technique should be applicable to separation of other water-soluble dendrimers.     

Comparison of PAMAM-Au and PPI-Au nanocomposites and their catalytic activity for reduction of 4-nitrophenol

Dendrimer-Au nanocomposites are prepared in aqueous solutions using poly(amidoammine)dendrimers (PAMAM) (generation 2, 3, and 5) and poly(propyleneimine)dendrimers (PPI)(generation 2, 3, and 4) by wet chemical NaBH(4) method. The Au nanoparticles thus obtained are 2-4 nm in diameter for both dendrimers and no generation dependence on the particle size is observed, whereas the generations of the dendrimers are increased as stabilization of Au-nanoparticles is achieved with lower dendrimer concentrations. Studies of the reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol using these nanocomposites show that the rate constants for the PAMAM dendrimers (generations 2 and 3) are higher than those for the PPI dendrimers (generations 2 and 3), while a distinct difference in the rate constants is not seen for the PAMAM dendrimer (generation 5) or the PPI dendrimer (generation 4). In addition, the rate constants for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol involving all the dendrimers decrease with increases in dendrimer concentrations.     

Synthesis of P(MBA-co-MAA) microsphere-grafted PAMAM dendrimers and their application as supporters for gold nanoparticles

Poly(N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) microsphere-supported polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers up to third generation (G) were grown onto the surface as well as the gel-layer of P(MBA-co-MAA) microspheres by a divergent method. The P(MBA-co-MAA) supported PAMAM dendrimers were used as heterogeneous stabilizers for the gold nanoparticles by an in situ reduction of HAuCl₄ via the efficient coordination interaction between the amino groups of the supported PAMAM dendrimers and the gold atoms. The effects of the generations of the P(MBA-co-MAA) supported PAMAM dendrimer on the loadings and the catalytic activity of the heterogeneous Au nanoparticles were systematically investigated with the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol as a model reaction.     

两亲性树枝状大分子作为药物缓释载体的研究

利用胆酸对1代聚酰胺-胺树枝状大分子进行修饰,得到两亲性树枝状大分子(PAMAM1-CA6)。采用1H-NMR和酸碱滴定法测得每个1代PAMAM分子上共价键连了6个胆酸分子。PAMAM1-CA6在水相中自组装成纳米粒子,粒径约为273nm。以抗癌药物氨甲喋呤为模型考察了此两亲性树枝状大分子对药物的缓释行为。在碱性条件下(pH=10),PAMAM1-CA6对氨甲喋呤的释放较为缓慢;随着溶液pH的降低,药物的释放速率明显加快。说明PAMAM1-CA6对氨甲喋呤的释放具有环境响应性。体外细胞实验的结果表明,PAMAM1-CA6能够显著地提高氨甲喋呤的疗效。因此,这类由低代树枝状大分子制得的材料有望成为新型的药物控释载体。     

Structural deviations in poly(amidoamine) dendrimers: a MALDI-TOF MS analysis

A step-by-step synthesis/purification (CC, HILIC, HPLC) of poly(amidoamine) PAMAM dendrimers was performed. MALDI-TOF MS in the linear and reflectron mode was used to analyze the purified samples and byproduct samples of G0-G5 generations of the dendrimers up to the mass of 35 000 Da. DHB/fucose was found to give the best resolution, causing the least fragmentation of the samples. The precise mass number for the ideally branched dendrimers and their “structural errors” was obtained. The profile of the structural errors was established.     

Analysis of poly(amidoamine)-succinamic acid dendrimers by slab-gel electrophoresis and capillary zone electrophoresis

Ethylenediamine (EDA)-core poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) succinamic acid dendrimers (Ex.SAH, where x refers to the generation) were synthesized and analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), potentiometric acid-base titration, and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). Various generations (E1.SAH-E7.SAH) PAMAMs and a succinamic acid terminated core-shell tecto(dendrimer) (E5(E3.SAH)(n)) were first analyzed by PAGE. PAGE results show that the relative mobilities of generation 2 to generation 7 dendrimers decreased with the increasing number of generations. The molecular mass of a generation 5 core generation 3 shell tecto(dendrimer) (denoted as E5(E3.SAH)(n)) was determined to be between the Mw of E6.SAH and E7.SAH. CZE analysis allowed the evaluation of electrophoretic properties of given-generation dendrimers. The electrophoretic mobilities of individual generations PAMAM polyanions are similar, indicating that the separation mainly depends on their approximately identical charge/mass ratio. The E5(E3.SAH)(n) tectodendrimer had a lower electrophoretic mobility, which was consistent with its lower charge/mass ratio. The combination of PAGE and CZE analysis provides an alternative and effective way to characterize this group of PAMAM-succinamic acid dendrimers.     

Capillary electrophoresis of polycationic poly(amidoamine) dendrimers

Generation 2 to generation 5 poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers having different terminal functionalities were analyzed by capillary electrophoresis (CE). Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was also used to assess the composition of the individual generations for comparison with the CE results. Separation of PAMAMs can be accomplished by either using uncoated silica or silanized silica capillaries, although reproducibility is poor using the uncoated silica capillary. To improve run-to-run reproducibility, silanized capillary was used and various internal standards were also tested. Relative and normalized migration times of primary amine terminated PAMAM dendrimers were then determined using 2,3-diaminopyridine (2,3-DAP) as an internal standard. Using silanized capillaries and internal standards, the relative and normalized migration times are fully reproducible and comparable between runs. Apparent dimensionless electrophoretic mobilities were determined and the results were compared to theoretical calculations. It is concluded that for PAMAMs a complex separation mechanism has to be considered in CE, where the movement of the ions is due to the electric field, but the separation is rather the consequence of the adsorption/desorption equilibria on the capillary wall ("electrokinetic capillary chromatography"). The described method may be used for quality control and may serve as an effective technique to analyze polycationic PAMAM dendrimers and their derivatives with different surface modifications.