Multifunctional trackable dendritic scaffolds and delivery agents

Internally Functionalized Dendrimers Based on Fully Substituted 1,2,3-Triazoles

Being one important class in dendrimer chemistry, internally functionalized dendrimers (IFDs) are still exiguous. Here we demonstrate the first construction of IFDs involving fully substituted 1,2,3-triazole rings as interior functionality carriers. Through divergent or convergent synthetic protocols established on the efficient iridium-catalyzed annulation of internal 1-thioalkynes with organic azides (IrAAC), sequence-controlled heterolayered dendrimers with different branched structures are achieved in a convenient manner. ¹ H NMR, MS and SEC characterizations well identify their architecture and high purity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

An Orthogonal Protection Strategy for Synthesizing Scaffold-Modifiable Dendrons and Their Application in Drug Delivery

Dendrons have well-defined dendritic structures. However, it is a great challenge to preserve their high structural definition after multiple functionalization because the site-selective conjugation of different functional molecules is quite difficult. Scaffold-modifiable dendrons that have orthogonal reactive groups at the scaffold and periphery are ideal for achieving the site-specific bifunctionalization. In this paper, we present a new strategy for synthesizing scaffold-modifiable dendrons via orthogonal amino protection and a solid-phase synthesis method. This strategy renders the reactive sites at the scaffold and periphery of the dendrons a super selectivity, high reactivity, and wide applicability to various reaction types. The fourth-generation dendrons can be facilely synthesized within 2 days without structural defects as demonstrated by mass spectrometry. We conjugated doxorubicin (DOX) and phenylboronic acid (PBA) groups to the scaffold and periphery, respectively. Thanks to the PBA-enhanced lysosome escape, tumor targeting ability, and tumor permeability as well as the high drug loading content larger than 30%, the dendron-based prodrug exhibited extraordinary antitumor efficacy and could eradicate the tumors established in mice by multiple intravenous administration. This work provides a practical strategy for synthesizing scaffold-modifiable dendrons that can be a promising nanoplatform to achieve function integration in a precisely controlled manner.

Using High Molecular Precision to Study Enzymatically Induced Disassembly of Polymeric Nanocarriers: Direct Enzymatic Activation or Equilibrium-Based Degradation?

Enzyme-responsive polymers and their assemblies offer great potential to serve as key materials for the design of drug delivery systems and other biomedical applications. However, the utilization of enzymes to trigger the disassembly of polymeric amphiphiles, such as micelles, also suffers from the limited accessibility of the enzyme to moieties that are hidden inside the assembled structures. In this Perspective, we will discuss examples for the utilization of high molecular precision that dendritic structures offer to study the enzymatic degradation of polymeric amphiphiles with high resolution. Up to date, several different amphiphilic systems based on dendritic blocks have all shown that small changes in the hydrophobicity and amphiphilicity strongly affected the degree and rate of enzymatic degradation. The ability to observe the huge effects due to relatively small variations in the molecular structure of polymers can explain the limited enzymatic degradation that is often observed for many reported polymeric assemblies. The observed trends imply that the enzymes cannot reach the hydrophobic core of the micelles, and instead, they gain access to the amphiphiles by the unimer–micelle equilibrium, making the unimer exchange rate a key parameter in tuning the enzymatic degradation rate. Several approaches that are aimed at overcoming the stability–responsiveness challenge are discussed as they open the way to the design of stable and yet enzymatically responsive polymeric nanocarriers.

Dendrimers: Amazing Platforms for Bioactive Molecule Delivery Systems

Today, dendrimers are the main nanoparticle applied to drug delivery systems. The physicochemical characteristics of dendrimers and their versatility structural modification make them attractive to applied as a platform to bioactive molecules transport. Nanoformulations based on dendrimers enhance low solubility drugs, arrival to the target tissue, drugs bioavailability, and controlled release. This review describes the latter approaches on the transport of bioactive molecules based on dendrimers. The review focus is on the last therapeutic strategies addressed by dendrimers conjugated with bioactive molecules. A brief review of the latest studies in therapies against cancer and cardiovascular diseases, as well as future projections in the area, are addressed.

Thermoresponsive Poly(ß-hydroxyl amine)s: Synthesis of a New Stimuli Responsive Amphiphilic Homopolymer Family through Amine-Epoxy 'Click' Polymerization

A new synthesis of amphiphilic homopolymers is described. In this synthesis, commercially available and inexpensive primary amines and di-epoxide molecules are utilized as AA- and BB-types of monomers in an amine-epoxy ‘click’ polymerization process. This process can be carried out in water and at room temperature. It does not require a catalyst or inert conditions and forms no byproducts. Therefore, the polymer synthesis can be carried out in open-air and bench-top conditions and a post-synthesis purification step is not required. The modularity of the synthesis, on the other hand, allows for facile structural modulation and tuning of the thermally triggered aggregation process in the temperature range of 7 to 91 °C. Finally, the underlying principles can be translated from linear architectures to polymer networks (hydrogels).

Modular synthesis and modification of novel bifunctional dendrons

The modular synthesis of two generations of highly branched bifunctional dendrons is reported. The first generation dendron–antibody conjugate is shown to selectively detect CD4⁺ T cells in the PBMC culture.

Glycan targeted polymeric antibiotic prodrugs for alveolar macrophage infections

Alveolar macrophages resident in the lung are prominent phagocytic effector cells of the pulmonary innate immune response, and paradoxically, are attractive harbors for pathogens. Consequently, facultative intracellular bacteria, such as Francisella tularensis, can cause severe systemic disease and sepsis, with high morbidity and mortality associated with pulmonary infection. Current clinical treatment, which involves exhaustive oral or intravenous antibiotic therapy, has limitations such as systemic toxicity and off-target effects. Pulmonary administration represents a promising alternative to systemic dosing for delivering antibiotics directly to the lung. Here, we present synthesized mannosylated ciprofloxacin polymeric prodrugs for efficient pulmonary delivery, targeting, and subsequent internalization by alveolar macrophages. We demonstrate significant improvement in efficacy against intracellular infections in an otherwise uniformly lethal airborne Francisella murine model (F. novicida). When administered to the lungs of mice in a prophylactic regimen, the mannosylated ciprofloxacin polymeric prodrugs led to 50% survival. In a treatment regimen that was concurrent with infection, the survival of mice increased to 87.5%. Free ciprofloxacin antibiotic was ineffective in both cases. This significant difference in antibacterial efficacy demonstrates the impact of this delivery platform based on improved physiochemical, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic properties of ciprofloxacin administered via our glycan polymeric prodrug. This modular platform provides a route for overcoming the limitations of free drug and increasing efficacy in treatment of intracellular infection.

Photoreversible Covalent Hydrogels for Soft-Matter Additive Manufacturing

Reversible covalent chemistry provides access to robust materials with the ability to be degraded and reformed upon exposure to an appropriate stimulus. Photoresponsive units are attractive for this purpose, as the spatial and temporal application of light is easily controlled. Coumarin derivatives undergo a [2 + 2] cycloaddition upon exposure to long-wave UV irradiation (365 nm), and this process can be reversed using short-wave UV light (254 nm). Therefore, polymers cross-linked by coumarin groups are excellent candidates as reversible covalent gels. In this work, copolymerization of coumarin-containing monomers with the hydrophilic comonomer N, N-dimethylacrylamide yielded water-soluble, linear polymers that could be cured with long-wave UV light into free-standing hydrogels, even in the absence of a photoinitiator. Importantly, the gels were reverted back to soluble copolymers upon short-wave UV irradiation. This process could be cycled, allowing for recycling and remolding of the hydrogel into additional shapes. Further, this hydrogel can be imprinted with patterns through a mask-based, post-gelation photoetching method. Traditional limitations of this technique, such as the requirement for uniform etching in one direction, have been overcome by combining these materials with a soft-matter additive manufacturing methodology. In a representative application of this approach, we printed solid structures in which the interior coumarin-cross-linked gel is surrounded by a nondegradable gel. Upon exposure to short-wave UV irradiation, the coumarin-cross-linked gel was reverted to soluble prepolymers that were washed away to yield hollow hydrogel objects.

Functional polyesters enable selective siRNA delivery to lung cancer over matched normal cells

Conventional chemotherapeutics nonselectively kill all rapidly dividing cells, which produces numerous side effects. To address this challenge, we report the discovery of functional polyesters that are capable of delivering siRNA drugs selectively to lung cancer cells and not to normal lung cells. Selective polyplex nanoparticles (NPs) were identified by high-throughput library screening on a unique pair of matched cancer/normal cell lines obtained from a single patient. Selective NPs promoted rapid endocytosis into HCC4017 cancer cells, but were arrested at the membrane of HBEC30-KT normal cells during the initial transfection period. When injected into tumor xenografts in mice, cancer-selective NPs were retained in tumors for over 1 wk, whereas nonselective NPs were cleared within hours. This translated to improved siRNA-mediated cancer cell apoptosis and significant suppression of tumor growth. Selective NPs were also able to mediate gene silencing in xenograft and orthotopic tumors via i.v. injection or aerosol inhalation, respectively. Importantly, this work highlights that different cells respond differentially to the same drug carrier, an important factor that should be considered in the design and evaluation of all NP carriers. Because no targeting ligands are required, these functional polyester NPs provide an exciting alternative approach for selective drug delivery to tumor cells that may improve efficacy and reduce adverse side effects of cancer therapies.

ATP dephosphorylation can be either enhanced or inhibited by pH-controlled interaction with a dendrimer molecule

Synthetic polyammonium/polyamine receptors are known to enhance ATP dephosphorylation in solution. ATP interaction with a G-3 poly(ethylene imine) dendrimer shows an unprecedented behaviour, the dendrimer catalyst being able to enhance or inhibit dephosphorylation of the nucleotide depending on the solution pH.

Designing Dendrimer and Miktoarm Polymer Based Multi-Tasking Nanocarriers for Efficient Medical Therapy

To address current complex health problems, there has been an increasing demand for smart nanocarriers that could perform multiple complimentary biological tasks with high efficacy. This has provoked the design of tailor made nanocarriers, and the scientific community has made tremendous effort in meeting daunting challenges associated with synthetically articulating multiple functions into a single scaffold. Branched and hyper-branched macromolecular architectures have offered opportunities in enabling carriers with capabilities including location, delivery, imaging etc. Development of simple and versatile synthetic methodologies for these nanomaterials has been the key in diversifying macromolecule based medical therapy and treatment. This review highlights the advancement from conventional "only one function" to multifunctional nanomedicine. It is achieved by synthetic elaboration of multivalent platforms in miktoarm polymers and dendrimers by physical encapsulation, covalent linking and combinations thereof.

Rapid access to phospholipid analogs using thiol-yne chemistry

Phospholipids and glycolipids constitute an essential part of biological membranes, and are of tremendous fundamental and practical interest. Unfortunately, the preparation of functional phospholipids, or synthetic analogs, is often synthetically challenging. Here we utilize thiol-yne click chemistry methodology to gain access to phospho- and glycolipid analogs. Alkynyl hydrophilic head groups readily photoreact with numerous thiol modified lipid tails to yield the appropriate dithioether phospho- or glycolipids. The resulting structures closely resemble the structure and function of native diacylglycerolipids. Dithioether phosphatidylcholines (PCs) are suitable for forming giant unilamellar vesicles (GUV), which can be used as vessels for cell-free expression systems. The unnatural thioether linkages render the lipids resistant to phospholipase A2 hydrolysis. We utilize the improved stability of these lipids to control the shrinkage of GUVs composed of a mixture of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) and dioleyl-dithioether PC, concentrating encapsulated nanoparticles. We imagine that these readily accessible lipids could find a number of applications as natural lipid substitutes.

Recent advances in click chemistry applied to dendrimer synthesis

Dendrimers are monodisperse polymers grown in a fractal manner from a central point. They are poised to become the cornerstone of nanoscale devices in several fields, ranging from biomedicine to light-harvesting. Technical difficulties in obtaining these molecules has slowed their transfer from academia to industry. In 2001, the arrival of the "click chemistry" concept gave the field a major boost. The flagship reaction, a modified Hüisgen cycloaddition, allowed researchers greater freedom in designing and building dendrimers. In the last five years, advances in click chemistry saw a wider use of other click reactions and a notable increase in the complexity of the reported structures. This review covers key developments in the click chemistry field applied to dendrimer synthesis from 2010 to 2015. Even though this is an expert review, basic notions and references have been included to help newcomers to the field.

Designed cell penetrating peptide dendrimers efficiently internalize cargo into cells

Redesigning linear cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) into a multi-branched topology with short dipeptide branches gave cell penetrating peptide dendrimers (CPPDs) with higher cell penetration, lower toxicity and hemolysis and higher serum stability than linear CPPs. Their use is demonstrated by delivering a cytotoxic peptide and paclitaxel into cells.

Dendritic glycopolymers based on dendritic polyamine scaffolds: view on their synthetic approaches, characteristics and potential for biomedical applications

The potential of dendritic glycopolymers based on dendritic polyamine scaffolds for biomedical applications is presented and compared with that of the structurally related anti-adhesive dendritic glycoconjugates.

Multiply functionalized dendrimers: protective-group-free synthesis through sequential thiol-epoxy ‘click’ chemistry and esterification reaction

A protective-group-free synthetic route to multiply functionalized dendrimers is presented.

Facile synthesis of drug-conjugated PHPMA core-crosslinked star polymers

Poly(N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide) (PHPMA), a biocompatible and non-immunogenic polymer, was used to form core-crosslinked star polymers for potential drug delivery applications.

Synthetic aptamer-polymer hybrid constructs for programmed drug delivery into specific target cells

Viruses have evolved specialized mechanisms to efficiently transport nucleic acids and other biomolecules into specific host cells. They achieve this by performing a coordinated series of complex functions, resulting in delivery that is far more efficient than existing synthetic delivery mechanisms. Inspired by these natural systems, we describe a process for synthesizing chemically defined molecular constructs that likewise achieve targeted delivery through a series of coordinated functions. We employ an efficient "click chemistry" technique to synthesize aptamer-polymer hybrids (APHs), coupling cell-targeting aptamers to block copolymers that secure a therapeutic payload in an inactive state. Upon recognizing the targeted cell-surface marker, the APH enters the host cell via endocytosis, at which point the payload is triggered to be released into the cytoplasm. After visualizing this process with coumarin dye, we demonstrate targeted killing of tumor cells with doxorubicin. Importantly, this process can be generalized to yield APHs that specifically target different surface markers.

Combination of Orthogonal ABB and ABC Multicomponent Reactions toward Efficient Divergent Synthesis of Dendrimers with Structural Diversity

Synthesis of dendrimers has been directed toward process efficiency and structural diversity. We report a divergent approach to the preparation of dendrimers with both ABC and ABB branching structures from nonbranching monomers by combination of efficient orthogonal ABC Passerini multicomponent reaction (MCR) and ABB thiol-yne MCR. Two kinds of dendrimers were synthesized efficiently: (1) dendrimers with two generations in three steps and (2) dendrimers with two generations containing one kind of internal functional group and two kinds of surface functional groups in five steps. This new synthetic method offers an efficient access to dendrimers with structural diversity.

Amphiphilic dendritic derivatives as nanocarriers for the targeted delivery of antimalarial drugs

It can be foreseen that in a future scenario of malaria eradication, a varied armamentarium will be required, including strategies for the targeted administration of antimalarial compounds. The development of nanovectors capable of encapsulating drugs and of delivering them to Plasmodium-infected cells with high specificity and efficacy and at an affordable cost is of particular interest. With this objective, dendritic derivatives based on 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid (bis-MPA) and Pluronic(®) polymers have been herein explored. Four different dendritic derivatives have been tested for their capacity to encapsulate the antimalarial drugs chloroquine (CQ) and primaquine (PQ), their specific targeting to Plasmodium-infected red blood cells (pRBCs), and their antimalarial activity in vitro against the human pathogen Plasmodium falciparum and in vivo against the rodent malaria species Plasmodium yoelii. The results obtained have allowed the identification of two dendritic derivatives exhibiting specific targeting to pRBCs vs. non-infected RBCs, which reduce the in vitro IC50 of CQ and PQ by ca. 3- and 4-fold down to 4.0 nm and 1.1 μm, respectively. This work on the application of dendritic derivatives to antimalarial targeted drug delivery opens the way for the use of this new type of chemicals in future malaria eradication programs.

A difunctional squarylium indocyanine dye distinguishes dead cells through diverse staining of the cell nuclei/membranes

Functionalized fluorescent dyes have attracted great interest for the specific staining of subcellular organelles in multicellular organisms. A novel nanometer-sized water-soluble multi-functional squarylium indocyanine dye (D1) that contains four primary amines is synthesized. The dye exhibits good photostability, non-toxicity and biocompatibility. Isothermal titration calorimetry demonstrates that an affinity between D1 and DNA is higher than that between D1 and analogue of phospholipids. Analysis of circular dichroism spectra indicates that D1 targets to the DNA minor groove and aggregates to a helix. Because of the distinct affinity between the dye and subcellular organelles, the dye exhibits difunctional abilities to label the cell nuclei in fixed cells/tissue and the cell membranes in live cells/tissue. By combination of the two staining capabilities, the dye is further explored as a specific marker to distinguish apoptotic cells in live cells/tissue. The research opens a new way to design novel multifunctional dyes for life science applications.

ROMP (co)polymers with pendent alkyne side groups: post-polymerization modification employing thiol–yne and CuAAC coupling chemistries

The synthesis of a series of copolymers via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) containing pendent trimethylsilyl-protected alkyne functional groups is described.

Synthesis, cellular delivery and in vivo application of dendrimer-based pH sensors

The development of fluorescent indicators represented a revolution for life sciences. Genetically encoded and synthetic fluorophores with sensing abilities allowed the visualization of biologically relevant species with high spatial and temporal resolution. Synthetic dyes are of particular interest thanks to their high tunability and the wide range of measureable analytes. However, these molecules suffer several limitations related to small molecule behavior (poor solubility, difficulties in targeting, often no ratiometric imaging allowed). In this work we introduce the development of dendrimer-based sensors and present a procedure for pH measurement in vitro, in living cells and in vivo. We choose dendrimers as ideal platform for our sensors for their many desirable properties (monodispersity, tunable properties, multivalency) that made them a widely used scaffold for several biomedical devices. The conjugation of fluorescent pH indicators to the dendrimer scaffold led to an enhancement of their sensing performances. In particular dendrimers exhibit reduced cell leakage, improved intracellular targeting and allow ratiometric measurements. These novel sensors were successfully employed to measure pH in living HeLa cells and in vivo in mouse brain.

Fluorescent multiblock π-conjugated polymer nanoparticles for in vivo tumor targeting

Highly fluorescent multiblock conjugated polymer nanoparticles with folic acid surface ligands are highly effective for bioimaging and in vivo tumor targeting. The targeted nanoparticles were preferentially localized in tumor cells in vivo, thereby illustrating their potential for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Reversible assembly and disassembly of amphiphilic assemblies by electropolymerized polyaniline films: effects rendered by varying the electropolymerization potential

Polymer films that respond to a variety of stimuli are attractive candidates for location-specific guest molecule delivery. These systems release the guest molecules by polymer erosion; thus, these are mono-use systems. If a polymer film is used to disassemble amphiphilic assemblies containing sequestered guest molecules, the polymer erosion issue can be circumvented. However, charge-bearing vinyl polymers, upon interaction with amphiphilic assemblies, are known to adapt to a conformation that results in encapsulating guest molecules instead of releasing them. On the contrary, it has earlier been reported that a rigid, charge-bearing, and water-insoluble conjugated polyaniline film can effectively disassemble amphiphilic assemblies without causing much harm to the film. Herein, we demonstrate the effect rendered by varying the electropolymerization potential on the interaction efficiency between the positive charge-bearing polyaniline film and oppositely charged amphiphilic assemblies. In addition, it is also demonstrated that a film of oxidized polyaniline can be regenerated for repetitive disassembly of the amphiphilic assemblies, and concomitant guest molecule delivery.