Synthesis and Characterization of Anionic Triazine Dendrimers with a Labile Disulfide Core.

Anionic dendrimers based on melamine with disulfide bonds at the core were prepared to investigate the solubility of these architectures, the ability of these molecules to solubilize pyrene as a model drug, and the ability of these architectures to undergo thiol-disulfide exchange. The ability to solubilize pyrene is directly correlated with molecular weight of the dendrimer-aggregation of dendrons does not occur. Thiol-disulfide exchange occurs rapidly using dithiothreitol as the reductant to yield dendrimers with thiol cores that can undergo oxidation in air to yield the original dendrimer.

Comparison of two functionalized fullerenes for antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation: Potentiation by potassium iodide and photochemical mechanisms.

A new fullerene (BB4-PPBA) functionalized with a tertiary amine and carboxylic acid was prepared and compared with BB4 (cationic quaternary group) for antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI). BB4 was highly active against Gram-positive methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and BB4-PPBA was moderately active when activated by blue light. Neither compound showed much activity against Gram-negative Escherichia coli or fungus Candida albicans. Therefore, we examined potentiation by addition of potassium iodide. Both compounds were highly potentiated by KI (1-6 extra logs of killing). BB4-PPBA was potentiated more than BB4 against MRSA and E. coli, while for C. albicans the reverse was the case. Addition of azide potentiated aPDI mediated by BB4 against MRSA, but abolished the potentiation caused by KI with both compounds. The killing ability after light decayed after 24 h in the case of BB4, implying a contribution from hypoiodite as well as free iodine. Tyrosine was readily iodinated with BB4-PPBA plus KI, but less so with BB4. We conclude that the photochemical mechanisms of these two fullerenes are different. BB4-PPBA is more Type 2 (singlet oxygen) while BB4 is more Type 1 (electron transfer). There is also a possibility of direct bacterial killing by electron transfer, but this will require more study to prove.

Synthesis of UV-absorbing and fluorescent carrier ampholyte mixtures and their application for the determination of the operational pH values of buffering membranes used in isoelectric trapping separations.

Success in isoelectric trapping separations critically depends on the knowledge of the accurate operational pH value of the buffering membranes used. Currently, due to a lack of easy, rapid, accurate methods that can be used for the post-synthesis determination of the operational pH value of a buffering membrane, only nominal pH values calculated from the amounts of the reagents used in the synthesis of the membranes and their acid-base dissociation constants are available. To rectify this problem, UV-absorbing and fluorescent carrier ampholyte mixtures were prepared by alkylating pentaethylenehexamine with a chromophore and a fluorophore, followed by Michael addition of acrylic acid and itaconic acid to the resulting oligoamine. Carrier ampholyte mixtures, with evenly distributed absorbance values across the 3

Computational design principles for bioactive dendrimer based constructs as antagonists of the TLR4-MD-2-LPS complex.

The cell surface interaction between bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and MD-2 is central to bacterial sepsis syndromes and wound healing. We have shown that a generation (G) 3.5 polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer that was partially glycosylated with glucosamine inhibits TLR4-MD-2-LPS induced inflammation in a rabbit model of tissue scaring. However, it was a mixture of closely related chemical species because of the polydispersity of the starting PAMAM dendrimer. Generation 2 triazine dendrimers with single chemical entity material status are available at low cost and at the kilogram scale. PAMAM dendrimer can be synthetically grafted onto this triazine core dendrimer to make new triazine-PAMAM hybrid dendrimers. This led us to examine whether molecular modelling methods could be used to identify the key structural design principles for a bioactive lead molecule that could be synthesized and biologically evaluated. We describe our computer aided molecular studies of several dendrimer based constructs and the key design principles identified. Our approach should be more broadly applicable to the biologically focused, rational and accelerated design of molecules for other TLR receptors. They could be useful for treating infectious, inflammatory and malignant diseases.

Mimicking PAMAM Dendrimers with Ampholytic, Hybrid Triazine Dendrimers: A Comparison of Dispersity and Stability.

Two strategies are applied to mimic the ampholytic nature of the surfaces of half-generation PAMAM dendrimers and yet retain the very narrow dispersity inherent of triazine dendrimers. Both strategies start with a monodisperse, single-chemical entity, generation two triazine dendrimer presenting twelve surface amines that is available at the kilogram scale. The first method relies on reaction with methyl bromoacetate. Complete conversion of the surface primary amines to tertiary amines occurs to provide 24 surface esters. Extended reaction times lead to quarternization of the amines while other unidentified species are also present. The resulting polyester can be quantitatively hydrolyzed using 4M aqueous HCl to yield a dendrimer with 12 tertiary amines and 24 carboxylic acids about a hydrophobic triazine core. The second method utilizes Michael additions of methyl acrylate to yield 24 surface esters. This reaction proceeds more rapidly and more cleanly than the former strategy. Hydrolysis of this material proceeds quantitatively using 4M aqueous HCl to yield desired dendrimer. In both cases, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry provides compelling evidence of reaction progress. Electrophoretic analysis confirms the ampholytic nature of these materials with the former targets having a pI value in the 1.8 < pI < 3.4 range, and the latter having a pI value in the 4.7 < pI < 5.9. These ranges bookend the pH range within which PAMAM dendrimers become zwitterionic, 3.4 < pI < 4.7. The strategy of using monodisperse amine-terminated dendrimer constructs as core offers significant advantage over PAMAM homopolymers including dispersity, ease of characterization and batch-to-batch reproducibility. These triazine dendrimers could ultimately be adopted into materials with applications wherein the demands of purity have hitherto remained unsatisfied.

Electrophoretic Behavior of Anionic Triazine and PAMAM Dendrimers: Methods for Improving Resolution and Assessing Purity Using Capillary Electrophoresis.

The synthesis and characterization of second- and third-generation triazine dendrimers bearing carboxylic acid groups on the periphery are reported. These materials were synthesized by exhaustive succinylation of amine-terminated dendrimers. (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra are consistent with the desired products, but these techniques are limited by degeneracy in signals. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry confirms the presence of the desired material. These materials display pH-dependent solubility in water. Capillary electrophoresis proves to be valuable in multiple elements of this work, and general protocols emerge that appear to be useful for the characterization of lower-generation anionic dendrimers. Specifically, capillary electrophoresis provides a convenient method for monitoring the removal of excess succinic anhydride/succinic acid and offers additional clues to the chemical nature of the impurities in these samples. Optimization of the background electrolyte and instrumental parameters allows for the assessment of the purity of these triazine targets as well as comparison with two sets of commercially available anionic poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers. Corroborative information from the different orthogonal analytical techniques employed supports the hypothesis that triazine dendrimers exist as very narrowly disperse mixtures of macromolecules approaching, in some cases, single chemical entities.

A family of high-buffering capacity diamino sulfate isoelectric buffers for pH-biased isoelectric trapping separations.

pH-biased isoelectric trapping separations are hindered by the lack of suitable isoelectric buffers with pI values in the 5.8 < pI range. Two generic approaches are described here for the cost-effective synthesis of a family of diamino sulfate buffers that have high buffering capacities in their isoelectric state: the first approach relies on the sulfation of existing, commercially available diamino alcohol intermediates, the second approach calls for the synthesis of diamino alcohols from epichlorohydrin and widely available secondary amines, and subsequent sulfation of the new diamino alcohol. The diamino sulfate buffers are recovered in isoelectric state, in high purity. Four members of the family having pI values in the 5.8 < pI < 8.9 range have been synthesized, analytically characterized by capillary electrophoresis (CE), electrospray ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS), 1-D and 2-D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography. All four diamino sulfates have been successfully used as pH biasers in the receiving stream in preparative-scale pH-biased isoelectric trapping protein separations.

Synthesis and characterization of quaternary ammonium dicarboxylic acid isoelectric buffers and their use in pH-biased isoelectric trapping separations.

Two approaches are described in this paper for the synthesis of isoelectric buffers that have pI values in the 1.5 < pI < 4.3 range. The first synthesis relies on the alkylation of existing aminodicarboxylic acids and recovery of the ampholyte as an inner salt. The second synthesis method forms low-pI ampholytes by reacting a secondary amine with two equivalents of an alkylester of a haloalkanecarboxylic acid, followed by hydrolysis of the intermediate in an alkaline solution and recovery of the ampholyte as an inner salt. The new ampholytes have been analytically characterized by capillary electrophoresis, high-resolution electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry, one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography. The isoionic solutions of the new ampholytes have high buffering capacity and conductivity, making them good pH biasers in the receiving stream in preparative-scale pH-biased isoelectric trapping separations.

Isoelectric buffers, part 3: determination of pKa and pI values of diamino sulfate carrier ampholytes by indirect UV-detection capillary electrophoresis.

Ampholytes with close pK(a) values (i.e., good carrier ampholytes (CAs)) are needed as buffers in pH-biased isoelectric trapping (IET) separations. The syntheses of two families of such good CAs were reported recently. Members of the family of diamino sulfate ampholytes (first series) had pI values in the 5.7 < pI < 9.0 range. Members of the family of quaternary ammonium dicarboxylic acid ampholytes (second series) had pI values in the pI < 4.3 range. To further characterize the diamino sulfate ampholytes, their effective mobilities were measured by indirect UV-absorbance detection capillary electrophoresis in a series of background electrolytes (BGEs) with different pH values. The pK(a) and limiting ionic mobility values of the CAs were obtained by fitting these mobility values, as a function of the pH and the ionic strength of the BGEs, to the theoretical mobility expression. These diamino sulfates complete the list of CAs suitable for IET separations.

High-buffering capacity, hydrolytically stable, low-pI isoelectric membranes for isoelectric trapping separations.

Hydrolytically stable, low-pI isoelectric membranes have been synthesized from low-pI ampholytic components, poly(vinyl alcohol), and a bifunctional cross-linker, glycerol-1,3-diglycidyl ether. The low-pI ampholytic components used contain one amino group and at least two weakly acidic functional groups. The acidic functional groups are selected such that the pI value of the ampholytic component is determined by the pK(a) values of the acidic functional groups. When the concentration of the ampholytic component incorporated into the membrane is higher than a required minimum value, the pI of the membrane becomes independent of variations in the actual incorporation rate of the ampholytic compound. The new, low-pI isoelectric membranes have been successfully used as anodic membranes in isoelectric trapping separations with pH < 1.5 anolytes and replaced the hydrolytically less stable polyacrylamide-based isoelectric membranes. The new low-pI isoelectric membranes have excellent mechanical stability, low electric resistance, good buffering capacity, and long life time, even when used with as much as 50 W power and current densities as high as 33 mA/cm(2) during the isoelectric trapping separations.

Alkali-stable high-pI isoelectric membranes for isoelectric trapping separations.

Alkali-stable, high-pI isoelectric membranes have been synthesized from quaternary ammonium derivatives of cyclodextrins and poly(vinyl alcohol), and bifunctional cross-linkers, such as glycerol-1,3-diglycidyl ether. The new, high-pI isoelectric membranes were successfully applied as cathodic membranes in isoelectric trapping separations in place of the hydrolytically more labile, polyacrylamide-based cathodic isoelectric membranes, and permitted the use of catholytes as alkaline as 1 M NaOH. The new high-pI isoelectric membranes have shown excellent mechanical stability, low electric resistance and long life times, even when subjected to electrophoresis with current densities as high as 80 mA/cm2.