New-generation biomedical materials:Peptide dendrimers and their application in biomedicine

Peptide dendrimers are attractive synthetic polymers and have been widely used as a new generation of biomaterials in recent years.Peptide dendrimers,as well as general dendrimers,may be synthesized to reach nano sizes,and display well-defined architectures,highly-branched structures,high density of functional terminal groups,and controllable molecular weights.On the other hand,peptide dendrimers have properties similar to proteins and some special characteristics,such as good biocompatibility,water solubil...     

新型生物医用材料: 肽类树枝状大分子及其生物医学应用

肽类树枝状大分子是近年来发展起来的一类新型生物医用高分子材料, 它在具有普通树枝状大分子的特征如规整性、高度支化、表面呈现高密度功能团、尺度为纳米级、通过可控制备可得到单一分子量等之外, 同时还具有类似蛋白一样的球状结构、好的生物相容性、水溶性、耐蛋白酶水解、生物降解等独特的性能. 肽类树枝状大分子的上述特点, 使其在生物医学应用中显示出诱人的前景. 本综述从肽类树枝状大分子的制备出发、详尽介绍了肽类树枝状大分子的功能化及其在疾病诊断和治疗中的应用等方面的研究进展, 籍此推动肽类树枝状大分子在生物医学领域的研究与开发.     

Rheology of carbosilane dendrimers with various types of end groups

The rheological properties of high-generation carbosilane dendrimers carrying different kinds of terminal groups are studied. It is shown that the nonlinear viscoelastic behavior of dendrimers and the high-temperature relaxation transition in dendrimers are interrelated and result from the reversible breakdown of the supramolecular structure formed by the system of contacts of exterior shells of dendrimers. The strength of the supramolecular structure is dependent on the specific interaction of terminal groups of dendrimers and their mobility. The dendrimers under study demonstrate the dualism of macromolecule-particle properties: They behave as both polymer melts and colloidal systems.     

New-generation biomedical materials: Peptide dendrimers and their application in biomedicine

Peptide dendrimers are attractive synthetic polymers and have been widely used as a new generation of biomaterials in recent years. Peptide dendrimers, as well as general dendrimers, may be synthesized to reach nano sizes, and display well-defined architectures, highly-branched structures, high density of functional terminal groups, and controllable molecular weights. On the other hand, peptide dendrimers have properties similar to proteins and some special characteristics, such as good biocompatibility, water solubility and resistance to proteolytic digestion. Due to these advantages, peptide dendrimers have received considerable attention in biomedicine. This review focuses on the development of peptide dendrimers with emphasis on their applications both in diagnostics and in therapy.     

Kerr effect in solutions of carbosilane dendrimers with terminal mesogenic groups

First results of investigations of electro-optical properties of liquid crystalline (LC) dendrimers in solution are presented. Measurements of electric birefringence (Kerr effect) and dielectric polarization of first generation carbosilane dendrimers with different ester linked terminal mesogenic groups (cholesteryl, cyanobiphenylyl and 4-methoxyphenyl benzoate) have been carried out using dilute solutions in CCl4. The results show that the dielectric polarization is proportional to the second power of the electric field in accordance with Kerr law. The Kerr constants calculated are close to those of the low molar mass analogues of the corresponding mesogenic groups. Thus the electric birefringence of the LC dendrimer solutions is mainly determined by the electro-optical properties of their terminal mesogenic groups oriented in the electric field independently of the main chain.     

Conformation and distribution of groups on the surface of amphiphilic polyether-co-polyester dendrimers: effect of molecular architecture

Amphiphilic polyester-co-polyether (PEPE) dendrimers synthesized from poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were examined to understand the influence of alterations in the architecture of dendrimers on their conformation at interfaces and distribution of various groups on their surface. Effect of changes in the number of branching points, type of terminal functional groups and generation of dendrimer was primarily evaluated. Dendrimers were deposited on mica by spin coating at 0.1 mg/mL. Tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) was employed for the visualization of dendrimer topographies while, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), AFM phase and force imaging were used as the tools for characterization of their surfaces. Individual dendrimer molecules could be imaged by AFM, which showed that they are round or oval in topography. Dendrimers were also flattened on mica but the extent of flattening differed with the chemical structure; for instance, third generation dendrimers were more flattened than second generation dendrimers whereas, dendrimers with higher number of branches had greater height above the mica surface. Hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups present towards the aerial interface existed in distinct zones rather than being distributed randomly, except in dendrimer with higher number of branches. The percentage of various hydrophobic groups on the surface of dendrimer was enhanced by increase in the number of branches but, was lowered by the presence of hydroxyl groups as the pendant terminal groups. Furthermore, the core of dendrimers was not always located towards the centre, its position was found to be altered by the number of branching points, type of terminal functional groups and the generation of dendrimer.     

α-环糊精/聚乙二醇自组装超分子纳米药物载体

研究了一种新型超分子纳米药物载体的制备方法及其药物释放性能. 将α-环糊精(α-CD)穿入肉桂酸改性的PEG分子链形成包含复合物(inclusion complex, IC), 通过超分子自组装成为纳米粒子. 将抗肿瘤药物阿霉素负载到纳米粒子中, 研究药物释放行为及其对肿瘤细胞的抑制效果. 以核磁共振(1H NMR)、X射线衍射(XRD)、紫外吸收光谱(UV)、动态光散射(DLS)、扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)和原子力显微镜(AFM)表征了纳米粒子的结构和形貌, 用激光共聚焦显微镜(Confocal)研究了载药纳米粒子在细胞内的分布及其对肿瘤细胞的抑制效果. 结果显示超分子纳米粒子具有很好的生物相容性和药物缓释作用, 载药纳米粒子对肿瘤细胞具有很好的杀伤效果.     

Does symmetry of branching affect the properties of dendrimers?

Statistical properties of second- to sixth- generation dendrimers with symmetric and asymmetric branching were investigated via Langevin dynamics in dilute solutions with the use of a coarse-grained model. The cases of charged and neutral terminal groups are discussed. Steric interactions were controlled by repulsive forces, a circumstance that corresponded to an athermal solvent. Electrostatic interactions were taken into account via the Ewald method. The size and shape of macromolecules; the density profiles for monomer units and, separately, for terminal groups; and the effective charge of a dendrimer as a function of the generation number were determined. It is shown that the equilibrium characteristics of dendrimers with symmetric and asymmetric branching are similar if the average lengths of their spacers coincide. Branching asymmetry appeared itself only in increased “turning back” of short spacers relative to their longer neighbors’ arising from the same branching point.     

Self-organization of amphiphilic liquid-crystalline dendrimers in bulk and at the interface

A comparative analysis of the structure and phase behavior of synthesized carbosilane amphiphilic LC dendrimers of the third generation containing mesogenic phenyl and oligo(ethylene glycol) fragments is performed. When phenol groups are replaced with oligo(ethylene glycol) moieties, the temperature interval of the existence of the LC phase in the mesogen-containing dendrimers decreases. The chemical nature of hydrophilic terminal groups is found to control the organization of dendrimers in the smectic mesophase. Structural models for their packing are proposed. Amphiphilic dendrimers are shown to form stable Langmuir films at the water/air interface. Surface-pressure-surface area-isotherms are constructed. The effect of the chemical nature of hydrophilic groups on the formation of a monolayer at the interface and on the packing density of dendrimer molecules in the monolayer is discussed.     

POSS基树枝状大分子的合成与应用

树枝状大分子(dendrimer)是一种高度支化、纳米尺度的人工合成大分子,具有独特的物理化学性能和重要的应用前景。利用具有8个可官能化顶点的多面体低聚倍半硅氧烷(POSS)作为树枝状大分子的核心,可在一定程度上简化树枝状大分子繁琐的合成与分离过程,在低代数时就可获得较大的表面官能团密度,并使树枝状分子呈现球形对称结构。POSS基树枝状大分子结合了POSS和树枝状分子结构与性能的优势,是一类极具潜力的有机-无机纳米杂化材料。本文综述了近年来POSS基树枝状大分子的最新研究成果,介绍了具有代表性的POSS基树枝状大分子的合成方法以及它们在催化剂、生物材料、液晶材料和发光材料等领域的应用研究进展,并对该新型材料的发展趋势做了展望。     

新型树枝功能化萘酰亚胺类发光材料的合成及其光放大效应

在树枝(dendron)上引入特定的功能单元,将多个具有特定功能团(咔唑)连接起来．形成功能化树枝状周边分子团簇,然后将它们分别与核心色素萘酰亚胺相连接,合成新型周边树枝状功能化的有机发光材料(共三代)。稳态荧光研究发现周边功能团吸收的能量能以较高的效率传递给中心核色素萘酰亚胺。其传输效率与化合物的树枝代数密切相关,具有特殊的光采集、光放大效应。瞬态荧光研究表明树枝化合物中的咔唑单元都呈双指数衰减特征,其中较短荧光寿命成分是咔唑和萘酰亚胺单元之间的相互作用。     

Comparative IR spectroscopic study of phosphorus-containing dendrimers built of thiophosphoryl, cyclophosphazene and phthalocyanine cores

The FTIR spectra of four generations of phosphorus-containing dendrimers built of thiophosphoryl, cyclophosphazene and phthalocyanine cores with terminal benzaldehyde and P–Cl groups have been recorded and analyzed. FT-Raman spectra of four generations of phosphorus dendrimers built of cyclotriphosphazene core with terminal benzaldehyde groups have been detected. Their spectral pattern is determined by the ratio T_n/R_n (T_n—number of terminal groups, R_n—number of repeating units). This ratio trends to r − 1 (r—branching functionality of repeating unit), and becomes constant, when the generation number is higher than 3. Experimental IR spectra of dendrimers built of thiophosphoryl, cyclophosphazene and phthalocyanine cores are very closely similar. The dependence of band full width at half height in IR spectra on the number of dendrons is established. The possibility appears to separate the bands assigned to the core, repeating units and terminal groups of dendrimers by difference spectroscopy method.     

Synthesis,structure, and phase behavior of carbosilane LC dendrimers with terminal butoxyphenylbenzoate mesogenic groups

Two series of carbosilane LC dendrimers with terminal protonated and deuterated butoxyphenylbenzoate mesogenic groups linked to carbosilane dendritic matrices of the first to fifth generations via an undecylene spacer have been synthesized. The chemical structure of new dendrimers has been studied by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and gel-permeation chromatography. The dendrimers of first-fourth generations are characterized by formation of the smectic C mesophase in a wide temperature range, whereas much more complex columnar supramolecular structures are formed in dendrimers of the fifth generation. Structural studied of mesophases by X-ray diffraction and small-angle neutron scattering show that segregation takes place in mixtures of deuterated and protonated LC dendrimers; as a result, huge aggregates composed of hundreds of chemically unbound molecules develop and the sizes of these aggregates reversibly change with temperature.     

Fourier-transform infrared and Raman difference spectroscopy studies of the phosphorus-containing dendrimers

FT IR and Raman spectra of 12 generations of the phosphorus-containing starburst dendrimers containing P=S and P=O bonds with terminal aldehyde and P-Cl groups were compared. The influence of the encirclement on the band frequencies and intensity is studied and due to the predictable, controlled and reproducible structure of the dendrimers the information usually inaccessible is obtained. Bands in the IR difference (G2'(P=O)-G2'(P=S)) spectra have characteristic EPR-like form. The strong band at 1600 cm(-1) show marked changes of the optical density in dependence of the aldehyde (-CH=O) or azomethyne (-CH=N-) substituents in the aromatic ring. The analysis of difference spectra enables one to assign the characteristic bands nu(P=S) and nu(P=O) for the bonds in the core, in the repeating unit and in the terminal groups of the dendrimers. This assignment is supported by the calculation of the absorption curves of the different fragments of dendrimer with the force constants and electro-optical parameters. The IR and Raman spectra of dendrimers are depended on the ratio of number terminal groups to a number of repeating units, which in its turn is strictly determined by the generation number. Thus, the marked differences in the vibrational spectra of the first successive generations aspire to zero for the higher ones. The rather rigid repeated units with little conformational flexibility define the perfect microstructure of the studied phosphorus-containing dendrimers up to the eleventh generation.     

Effect of terminal groups on the electronic structure of hyperbranched polyacetylene

Quantum mechanics calculations at B3LYP/6‐31G (d)//HF/3‐21G (d) level of the theory were carried out on second generation dendritic polyacetylenic oligomers bearing different terminal groups to clarify the impact of their nature on the electronic structure of hyperbranched polyacetylene. It was found that steric and electronic factors affect the electronic properties of the studied dendrimers. While the steric hindrances independently of the nature of a terminal group tend to increase band gap and ionisation potential and decrease electron affinity, the interaction of lone electron pairs and π‐electrons of the terminal groups with the rest of the molecule produces specific changes in the electronic structure of each particular group. A general feature of the studied dendrimers is that upon ionisation or addition of an electron to the dendrimer the molecules become more planar.     

FTIR spectroscopy and DFT studies of carbosilane dendrimers

The FTIR spectra of G(3), G(4), and G(9) generations of polybutylcarbosilane dendrimers have been recorded and analyzed. The structural optimization and normal mode analysis were performed for G(1) generation on the basis of density functional theory (DFT). This calculation gave vibrational frequencies and infrared intensities for the t,t- and g,-g-conformers of the butyl terminal groups, attached to the same silicon atom. The g,-g-conformer is 5.83 kcal/mol less stable compared to t,t-conformer. Relying on DFT calculations a complete vibrational assignment is proposed for different parts of the studied dendrimers. The dependence of band full width at half height in the IR spectra on generation number is established. The IR spectra of carbosilane dendrimers at higher temperatures at the ambient air and isolated from atmosphere air were studied. At temperature 180 degrees C all studied carbosilane dendrimers are stable when contact with atmosphere is absent, in the air they oxidize and thus CO and SiO groups appear.     

Synthesis and properties of dendrimers possessing the same fluorophore(s) located either peripherally or off-center

Two series of phosphorus dendrimers functionalized by maleimide derivatives are synthesized, as well as three new monomeric maleimide derivatives, of which two are characterized by X-ray diffraction. The first series of phosphorus dendrimers possesses maleimide derivatives as end groups (6-48, from generation 0 to generation 3). The second series of dendrimers possesses a single copy of the same maleimide derivative linked "off-center" to a cyclotriphosphazene core, leading to dissymmetrical dendrimers; this series is synthesized from generation 0 to generation 2. The fluorescence properties of both series of dendrimers and of monomers are studied, affording new information. First, the presence of labile hydrogen extinguishes the fluorescence. Second, the grafting of the fluorophore(s) directly to the core affords highly fluorescent compounds. Finally, an original influence of the branches possessing phosphorhydrazone linkages toward the fluorescence properties is shown.     

Preparation and characterization of dense films of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers on indium tin oxide

Indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates were modified with a layer of poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers to change their surface properties and, in particular, the substrates' work function. The functionalization procedure involved the electrostatic adsorption of positively charged PAMAM dendrimers of generation five onto negatively polarized ITO surfaces. Three different PAMAM dendrimers were used: PAMAM-NH2 and PAMAM-OH with terminal amine and hydroxyl groups, respectively, as well as Q-PAMAM-NH2, which had been prepared from PAMAM-NH2 by quaternization of the dendrimer's terminal and internal amine groups with methyl iodide. The resulting organic films were analyzed by contact angle goniometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and Kelvin probe force microscopy to confirm the presence of a dense layer. A Langmuir isotherm was derived from surface densities of fluorescence-labeled PAMAM-NH2 dendrimers from which we deduced an equilibrium binding constant, K(eq), of (1.3 +/- 0.3) x 10(5) M(-1). Kelvin probe measurements of the contact potential difference revealed a high reduction of the work function from 4.9 eV for bare ITO to 4.3 eV for ITO with a dense film of PAMAM-NH2 of generation five. PAMAM-OH and Q-PAMAM-NH2 resulted in slightly smaller work function changes. This study illustrates that the work function of ITO can be tuned by adlayers composed of PAMAM dendrimers.     

Synthesis of double‐layered dendritic carbosilanes used on allyloxy and phenylethynyl groups

Double‐layered dendritic carbosilanes were prepared containing phenylethynyl groups on the peripheral layer as well as propyleneoxy and ethenyl groups in the inner shell. The preparation of the allyloxy group containing dendrimers was made by the reaction of chlorosilylated dendrimers with allylalcohol in the presence of TMED. The dendrimers with ethynyl groups on each terminal arm were obtained by the reaction of the chlorosilyl group containing generations with lithium phenylethynyl. Subsequently, by iterative reactions such as hydrosilation and alkynylation as well as alcoholysis, dendritic macromolecules were generated to the fourth generation with 64 phenylethynyl groups on the peripheral layer. Different branching layers such as propyleneoxy and phenylethenyl groups constructed the inner shell of the fourth generation of the prepared dendrimers. The dendrimers were characterized by the use of nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared, size exclusion chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, ultraviolet, and elemental analysis. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 764–774, 2000     

Oligosaccharide-modified poly(propyleneimine) dendrimers: synthesis, structure determination, and Cu(II) complexation

The multiple application of reductive amination on primary amino groups of first and second generation poly(propyleneimine) dendrimers is used as a one-pot approach to introduce twice the amount of the oligosaccharide units as surface groups, compared to initially present amino groups in the first and second generation dendrimers. This was proven by (1)H NMR, MALDI-TOF-MS, and LILBID-MS analysis. The size of these dendrimers was determined by the hydrodynamic radius using pulsed field gradient NMR and dynamic light scattering. Molecular modeling confirmed the presence of dense-shell dendrimers. These dendrimers exhibit a generation dependent Cu(II)/dendrimer ratio in an aqueous environment, highlighting these materials as possible metal-carrier systems with a well-defined oligosaccharide protection shell for application in a biological environment.