Comparison of dendrimer-based macromolecular contrast agents for dynamic micro-magnetic resonance lymphangiography.

Few methods are currently available to visualize the entire lymphatic system. A method known as micro-magnetic resonance lymphangiography (MRL), which employs a dendrimer-based MRI contrast agent (PAMAM-G8) and a clinical-grade 1.5T MRI instrument, was recently developed for use in mice. In the present study, three dendrimer-based MRI contrast agents (PAMAM-G8, DAB-G5, and PAMAM-G4) with different pharmacokinetic characteristics were compared to determine the best reagent to visualize the lymphatic system under physiological or pathological conditions. In addition, two established MRI contrast agents (Gadomer-17 and Gd-[DTPA]-dimeglumine (Magnevist)) were used as control agents. In experiments with mice, most of the deep lymphatic system was visualized by micro-MRL with all agents except Gd-[DTPA]-dimeglumine. PAMAM-G8 was best for visualizing lymphatic vessels, whereas DAB-G5 was better for visualizing lymph nodes. PAMAM-G4 was intermediate in character between PAMAM-G8 and DAB-G5, except in exhibiting a low background signal (especially in the liver). The lymphatic system was not clearly visualized with Gd-[DTPA]-dimeglumine; however, the lymph nodes were visualized with Gadomer-17, although not as well as with dendrimer-based agents. In conclusion, DAB-G5 and PAMAM-G4 can be used to identify lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels, respectively. Their rapid excretion makes these compounds potentially attractive for human use.     

Structural dependence of in vitro cytotoxicity,oxidative stress and uptake mechanisms of poly(propylene imine) dendritic nanoparticles

The in vitro cytotoxic and intracellular oxidative stress responses to exposure to poly(propylene imine) (PPI) dendritic nanoparticles of increasing generation (number of repeated branching cycles) (G0–G4) were assessed in an immortal non‐cancerous human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT). Confocal fluorescence microscopy with organelle staining was used to explore the uptake and intracellular trafficking mechanisms. A generation‐ and dose‐dependent cytotoxic response was observed, increasing according to generation and, therefore, number of surface amino groups. A comparison of the cytotoxic response of G4 PPI and the related G4 poly(amido amine) dendrimer indicates that the PPI with the same number of surface amino groups elicits a significantly higher cytotoxic response. The trend of cytotoxicity versus dendrimer generation and, therefore, size is discontinuous in the region of G2, however, indicating a difference in uptake mechanism for higher compared to lower generations. Whereas the higher generations elicit an oxidative stress response at short exposure times, the lower generations indicate an antioxidant response. Confocal microscopy indicates that, whereas they are prominent at early exposure times for the larger PPI dendrimers, no evidence of early stage endosomes was observed for lower generations of PPI. The results are consistent with an alternative uptake mechanism of physical diffusion across the semipermeable cell membrane for the lower generation dendrimers and are discussed in terms of their implications for predictive models for nanotoxicology and design strategies for nanomedical applications. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

树枝状大分子聚酰胺-胺对甘草苷促吸收作用及安全性研究

树枝状大分子聚酰胺-胺(PAMAM dendrimers)是近年来研究较为广泛的树状大分子之一,其表面具有大量可修饰的官能团,内部具有大量空腔,且具有良好的生物相容性、渗透性及稳定性,这些特点使PAMAM dendrimers在药物和基因载体等领域应用广泛,并可能成为新型吸收促进剂。为具体研究PAMAM dendrimers的促吸收作用,该课题选取甘草苷为模型药物,其具有补脾益气、解毒保肝等功效,但有研究表明其经口服后不易被胃肠道吸收,且存在首过效应等,生物利用度较低,因此在临床上尚未被广泛应用。该课题以体内肠道吸收的2个主要决定性因素溶解性和渗透性为核心,通过对甘草苷理化性质的研究,并辅以目前广泛应用的肠渗透性模型Caco-2单层细胞膜,对比分析了含或不含不同表面活性官能团的PAMAM dendrimers的甘草苷溶液跨Caco-2细胞膜转运量,并利用MTT试验分析比较了不同官能团的PAMAM dendrimers对细胞的毒性大小。结果显示,0.1%的G4代PAG能安全、有效的促进甘草苷吸收,并适合进一步开发成新型药用辅料。     

Polyester Dendrimers Carrying NLO Chromophores: Synthesis and Optical Characterization

Summary: Four dendritic polyesters containing non‐linear optical chromophores on the periphery were synthesized and their material properties were compared for electro‐optic device applications. Thermal and optical parameters of the dendrimer materials were measured along with structural analysis. A high chromophore concentration in the dendritic polyesters produced enhancement of the optical non‐linearity. The second generation dendrimer (G1‐DAIDC) exhibited an electro‐optic coefficient of 43.4 pm · V^?1 at 1.55 µm optical communication wavelength. Aromatic ester backbones elevate the glass transition temperature of the chromophore alignment, representing good thermal stability of the optical films.

     

Transport of Poly(Amidoamine) Dendrimers across Caco-2 Cell Monolayers: Influence of Size, Charge and Fluorescent Labeling

Purpose To investigate the transport of poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers with positive, neutral and negatively charged surface groups across Caco-2 cell monolayers. Methods Cationic PAMAM-NH₂ (G2 and G4), neutral PAMAM-OH (G2), and anionic PAMAM-COOH (G1.5–G3.5) dendrimers were conjugated to fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). The permeability of fluorescently labeled PAMAM dendrimers was measured in the apical-to-basolateral direction. ¹⁴C-Mannitol permeability was measured in the presence of unlabeled and FITC labeled PAMAM dendrimers. Caco-2 cells were incubated with the dendrimers followed by mouse anti-occludin or rhodamine phalloidin, and visualized using confocal laser scanning microscopy to examine tight junction integrity. Results The overall rank order of PAMAM permeability was G3.5COOH > G2NH₂ > G2.5COOH > G1.5COOH > G2OH. ¹⁴C-Mannitol permeability significantly increased in the presence of cationic and anionic PAMAM dendrimers with significantly greater permeability in the presence of labeled dendrimers compared to unlabeled. PAMAM dendrimers had a significant influence on tight junction proteins occludin and actin, which was microscopically evidenced by disruption in the occludin and rhodamine phalloidin staining patterns. Conclusions These studies demonstrate that enhanced PAMAM permeability is in part due to opening of tight junctions, and that by appropriate engineering of PAMAM surface chemistry it is possible to increase polymer transepithelial transport for oral drug delivery applications.     

Conformations of Highly Charged Dendronized Polymers in Aqueous Solutions of Varying Ionic Strength

Conformations of two linear, charged dendronized polymers in aqueous solutions of different ionic strengths have been studied by light scattering. Both polymers have a polyacrylic core. The repeating unit of the first of the polymers studied contains a residue of aspartic acid bound to a carboxylic group of the core by an amide group as a first‐generation dendron, whereas the second polymer contains second‐generation dendrons constructed of three molecules of aspartic acid. The dendritic polymers adopt different conformations depending on the generation. Polymers with first‐generation dendrons are flexible and their conformation is sensitive to salt. The polymers with dendrons of the second generation adopt a semi‐flexible rod conformation. Their conformation is not sensitive to salt but is determined by the bulkiness of the dendrons.

Polyacrylic polymers having a residue of aspartic acid as a first‐generation dendron ( P1 ), and having a second‐generation dendron on the basis of aspartic acid ( P2 ).     

纳米材料在基因转染中的应用--Starburst PAMAM dendrimers研究现状

提高重组DNA对培养细胞及活体水平的转染效率是利用重组DNA进行预防和治疗疾病所必须解决的难题之一。一种新型阳离子多聚物00Starburst PAMAM dendrimers的出现为解决现存在难题带来了一线曙光。Starburst PAMAM dendrimers是1985年之后出现的一类新型星射状树形高分子，它们结构规整，具有呈辐射关对称的刚性球体结构，在生理条件下，Starburst PAMAM dendrimers分子具高的表面正电荷密度，能与天然状态下存在的带负电荷的生物活性物质（如核酸）发生静电相互作用形成复合物。该类树形高分子可极大增强DNA转染真核细胞的转染效率，具有许多优于其它现有转染试剂的优良特性，并具有在活体内应用的潜力。本文介绍了九十年代以来对该类树形高分子在体外培养细胞及活体水平增强DNA转染效率的研究现状并对今后的研究和应用进行了分析。     

Modified poly(propylene imine) dendrimers as effective transfection agents for catalytic DNA enzymes (DNAzymes)

The major bottleneck in gene therapy remains the issue of delivery. In this work, various modified poly(propylene imine) (PPI) dendrimers are introduced as gene transfection agents. Commercially available PPI-dendrimers have been modified (i) at the exterior primary amines with acetyl groups or glycol gallate (PEG-like) groups, and (ii) at the interior tertiary amines with methyl iodide (MeI) or MeCl to produce multiple quaternized cationic sites in the core of the dendrimer. The prepared materials have been tested with respect to their binding capabilities to DNA, their toxicity in cell cultures, their in vitro transfection efficiency and their in vivo delivery possibilities. In all cases, a 33-mer oligonucleotide (DNAzyme) was used. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) studies have demonstrated strong but reversible binding, where the quarternized and higher generation dendrimer species have shown more potent binding. Typically, for the modified fourth PPI-dendrimers, binding is observed at a concentration of about 4 μM DNA and a dendrimer-DNA charge ratio of around 2:1–1:1. All the tested PPI-dendrimers display a low cellular toxicity, especially when higher serum contents are used in the culture medium. For example, most of the prepared fourth generation PPI-dendrimers are not or hardly toxic up to at least 20 μM in 20% serum. An in vitro characterization has revealed a high dendrimer-mediated intracellular uptake of the DNAzyme: all the tested fourth generation PPI-dendrimers display transfection efficiencies close to or exceeding 80%, even when the concentration of serum in the medium is increased from 10 to 40%. Finally, the potential of using modified PPI-dendrimers for in vivo gene therapy experiments is demonstrated. Injecting a G4-PEG(MeI)–ssDNA complex intravenously into Nude mice has resulted in a high nuclear uptake as confirmed by co-localization studies.     

Tumor targeting using polyamidoamine dendrimer–cisplatin nanoparticles functionalized with diglycolamic acid and herceptin

Polymer mediated drug delivery system represents a novel promising platform for tumor-targeting with reduced systemic side effects and improved chemotherapeutical efficacy. In this study, we report the preparation and characterization of herceptin targeted, diglycolamic acid (DGA) functionalized polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer as a potent drug carrier for cisplatin. DGA dendrimers carrying cisplatin demonstrated enhanced anticancer activity when targeted with herceptin. In vitro cell line studies with herceptin-DGA-G4-cisplatin in HER-2 +ve and HER-2 −ve human ovarian cancer cell lines showed that these nanoparticles possessed remarkable features such as lower IC₅₀ value, improved S-phase arrest, and enhanced apoptosis due to increased cellular uptake and accumulation than the untargeted DGA-G4-cisplatin and free cisplatin. Furthermore, in vivo results in SCID mice bearing SKOV-3 tumor xenografts, herceptin-DGA-G4-cisplatin, appeared to be more effective in inducing tumor regression as compared to free cisplatin. Collectively, these results indicate that herceptin targeted DGA functionalized PAMAM-cisplatin conjugates serve as better anti-tumor agents than individual therapeutic agents.