The complexity of drug delivery mechanisms calls for the development of new transport system designs. Here, we report a robust synthetic procedure toward stable glycodendrimer (glyco-DDM) series bearing glucose, galactose, and oligo(ethylene glycol)-modified galactose peripheral units. In vitro cytotoxicity assays showed exceptional biocompatibility of the glyco-DDMs. To demonstrate applicability in drug delivery, the anticancer agent doxorubicin (DOX) was encapsulated in the glyco-DDM structure. The anticancer activity of the resulting glyco-DDM/DOX complexes was evaluated on the noncancerous (BJ) and cancerous (MCF-7 and A2780) cell lines, revealing their promising generation-and concentration-dependent effect. The glyco-DDM/DOX complexes show gradual and pH-dependent DOX release profiles. Fluorescence spectra elucidated the encapsulation process. Confocal fluorescence microscopy demonstrated preferential cancer cell internalization of the glyco-DDM/DOX complexes. The conclusions were supported by computer modeling. Overall, our results are consistent with the assumption that novel glyco-DDMs and their drug complexes are very promising in drug delivery and related applications.
A general relationship is derived for the abundance of an imperfect dendrimer with a given number of missing constitutional repeating units in the two outmost layers. The relationship is used in the interpretation of the MALDI TOF mass spectrum of the second-generation carbosilane dendrimer prepared by the iterative divergent method. The model quantitatively describes the spectrum of the dendrimer and correctly predicts the MALDI TOF mass spectrum of its first-generation precursor. Thus, the use of well-resolved MALDI TOF mass spectra for assessing the purity of low-generation dendrimers with uniform end groups is substantiated for carbosilane dendrimers and to lesser extent for dendrimers in general.
A series of polyallylcarbosilane dendrimers and carbosilane-based dendritic polyols up to third generation was analyzed by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy to determine the character, origin, and number of structural defects. Besides occasionally reported α-hydrosilylation, several side reactions accompanying hydrosilylation, such as isomerization of terminal double bonds, were detected during the synthesis of carbosilane skeleton. Despite increased steric hindrance, internal double bonds react in subsequent addition reactions. Depending on the synthetic sequence applied, the retained reactivity of the internal double bonds can lead either to suppression of the defect in the next generation or to creation of more significant defects such as dendrimer dimers. Hydroboration of allyl groups using dicyclohexylborane proceeded with near quantitative conversion; a small amount of hydrolysis accompanying the following oxidation step producing nonreactive alkyl groups at the periphery was detected.
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