Imaging {Au0-PAMAM} Gold-dendrimer Nanocomposites in Cells

Dendrimer nanocomposites (DNC) are hybrid nanoparticles formed by the dispersion and immobilization of guest atoms or small clusters in dendritic polymer matrices. They have a great potential in biomedical applications due to their controlled composition, predetermined size, shape and variable surface functionalities. In this work, d=5–25nm spherical nanoparticles composed of gold and poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers have been selected to demonstrate this nanoparticle based concept. {Au(0)_n-PAMAM} gold dendrimer nanocomposites with a well-defined size were synthesized and imaged by transmission electron microscopy both in vitro and in vivo. DNC have also the potential to be used for imaging and drug delivery vehicles either by utilizing bioactive guests or through the incorporation of radioactive isotopes, such as Au-198.