Dendrimers as tools towards nanomedicine

Dendrimers [1] are hyperbranched and nanosized macromolecules, synthesized step-by-step in an iterative fashion to ensure a perfect control of all their structural parameters (chemical composition, size, weight, etc.), and... [ view full abstract ]

Dendrimers [1] are hyperbranched and nanosized macromolecules, synthesized step-by-step in an iterative fashion to ensure a perfect control of all their structural parameters (chemical composition, size, weight, etc.), and which may have outstanding properties. [2] Most of these properties of dendrimers depend on their terminal functions, but surprisingly, the internal structure may also play a key role, especially when considering the biological properties. [3]
We synthesize phosphorus-containing dendrimers (i.e. dendrimers having a phosphorus atom at all the branching points), and we can play with both their internal structure [4] and the type of their terminal functions. These dendrimers, when specifically functionalized (see Figure), display many biological properties ranging from transfection to immuno-stimulation, [5] from antivirals to anti-prion, anti-inflammatory [5, 6, 7] and anti-cancer [8] agents. These biological properties of phosphorus-containing dendrimers will be emphasized.

References
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[2] Caminade A.M., Ouali A., Laurent R., Turrin C.O., Majoral J.P., Chem. Soc. Rev. 2015, 44, 3890.
[3] Caminade A.M., Fruchon S., Turrin C.O., Poupot M., Ouali A., Maraval A., Garzoni M., Maly M., Furer V., Kovalenko V., Majoral J.P., Pavan G.M., Poupot R. Nature Comm. 2015, 6, 7722.
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[6] Blattes E., Vercellone A., Eutamène H., Turrin C.O., Théodorou V., Neyrolles O., Majoral J.P., Caminade A.M., Prandi J., Nigou J., Puzo G., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 2013, 110, 8795.
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