1. GATG dendrimers and PEGylated block copolymers: from synthesis to bioapplications.
- Author
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Sousa-Herves A, Novoa-Carballal R, Riguera R, and Fernandez-Megia E
- Subjects
- Active Transport, Cell Nucleus, Animals, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical, Dendrimers metabolism, Gallic Acid analogs & derivatives, Gallic Acid metabolism, Humans, Ligands, Models, Molecular, Molecular Structure, Nanoparticles, Nanotechnology, Polyethylene Glycols metabolism, Structure-Activity Relationship, Contrast Media chemistry, Dendrimers chemistry, Drug Carriers, Gallic Acid chemistry, Gene Transfer Techniques, Magnetic Resonance Imaging methods, Polyethylene Glycols chemistry, Technology, Pharmaceutical methods
- Abstract
Dendrimers are synthetic macromolecules composed of repetitive layers of branching units that emerge from a central core. They are characterized by a tunable size and precise number of peripheral groups which determine their physicochemical properties and function. Their high multivalency, functional surface, and globular architecture with diameters in the nanometer scale makes them ideal candidates for a wide range of applications. Gallic acid-triethylene glycol (GATG) dendrimers have attracted our attention as a promising platform in the biomedical field because of their high tunability and versatility. The presence of terminal azides in GATG dendrimers and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-dendritic block copolymers allows their efficient functionalization with a variety of ligands of biomedical relevance including anionic and cationic groups, carbohydrates, peptides, or imaging agents. The resulting functionalized dendrimers have found application in drug and gene delivery, as antiviral agents and for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, in diagnosis and as tools to study multivalent carbohydrate recognition and dendrimer dynamics. Herein, we present an account on the preparation and recent applications of GATG dendrimers in these fields.
- Published
- 2014
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