The dendritic (or dendrimer) effect is observed when a functional group behaves differently when it is alone or linked to a dendrimer; its properties can even vary depending on the generation of the dendrimers. The dendritic effect can be observed with any type of dendrimer, and for any type of property, even if it has been most generally tracked in catalysis and biology, and to a lesser extent...

Two sequential transformations of the orientational structure in nematic liquid crystal droplets containing a dendrimer additive (nanosized macromolecules with light-absorbing azobenzene terminal moieties) under light irradiation in the UV-blue spectral range were investigated. The origin of these transitions is in the change of the boundary conditions due to photoisomerization of the dendrimer...

targeting riboflavin binding protein (RFBP), which acts as a model protein for the riboflavin receptor. By characterizing the binding interactions between riboflavin dendrimer gold nanoparticle conjugates and RFBP, the efficacy of this platform for a targeted approach of drug delivery can be predicted more accurately. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was used for biological imaging studies of thes...

We report what is to our knowledge a record high value for an intrinsic two-photon absorption (TPA) cross section, sigma(2) = 11 x 10(-47)> cm>(4)> s photon(-1) molecule(-1), measured with femtosecond pulses in a new dendrimer molecule comprising 29 repeat units of 4, 4(?)-bis(diphenylamino)stilbene chromophore. We measure the dependence of TPA on excitation wavelength in three consecutive gene...

BACKGROUND Pneumococcal virulence factors common to all serotypes, such as choline-binding proteins (CBPs), are promising therapeutic targets in pneumococcal infections. We studied the effect of a choline dendrimer with maximized binding affinity/specificity for CBPs on microglia-mediated pneumococcal phagocytosis. METHODS Pneumoccocal cultures were exposed to dendrimers containing 8 choline ...

Dendrimers are members of a versatile, fourth new class of polymer architecture (i.e. dendritic polymers after traditional linear, crosslinked and branched types). Typically, dendrimers are used as well-defined scaffolding or nanocontainers to conjugate, complex or encapsulate therapeutic drugs or imaging moieties. As a delivery vector, the dendrimer conjugate linker or spacer chemistry plays a...

The applicability of CMCht/PAMAM dendrimer nanoparticles for CNS applications was investigated. AFM and TEM observations revealed that the nanoparticles possessed a nanosphere-like shape with a size from 22.0 to 30.7 nm. The nanoparticles could be bound to fluorescent-probe FITC for tracing purposes. Post-natal hippocampal neurons and cortical glial cells were both able to internalize the FITC-...

Ultrathin multilayers are important for electrical and optical devices, as well as for immunoassays, artificial organs, and for controlling surface properties. The construction of ultrathin multilayer films by electrostatic layer-by-layer deposition proved to be a popular and successful method to create films with a range of electrical, optical, and biological properties. Dendrimer nanocomposit...

In this study, we demonstrated the potential use of polypseudorotaxanes (PPRXs) of polyethylene glycol (PEG, molecular weight: 2000)-grafted polyamidoamine dendrimer (PEG-dendrimer) with cyclodextrins (CyDs) as novel sustained release systems for plasmid DNA (pDNA). PEG-dendrimer/pDNA complex formed PPRXs with α-CyD and γ-CyD solutions, but not with β-CyD solution. In the PEG-dendrimer/CyDs PPR...

The effective pair potentials between different kinds of dendrimers in solution can be well approximated by appropriate Gaussian functions. We find that in binary dendrimer mixtures the range and strength of the effective interactions depend strongly upon the specific dendrimer architecture. We consider two different types of dendrimer mixtures, employing the Gaussian effective pair potentials,...