Temperature sensitization of liposomes by use of thermosensitive block copolymers synthesized by living cationic polymerization: effect of copolymer chain length.

We prepared block copolymers of (2-ethoxy)ethoxyethyl vinyl ether (EOEOVE) and octadecyl vinyl ether (ODVE) with the number average molecular weights of 6900, 9300, and 16 700 by living cationic polymerization. The poly(EOEOVE) block acts as a temperature-sensitive moiety, and the poly(ODVE) block acts as an anchor moiety. We also investigated the effect of chain length of the copolymer poly(EOEOVE) block on the ability to sensitize liposomes.

Transfection activity of polyamidoamine dendrimers having hydrophobic amino acid residues in the periphery.

We designed poly(amidoamine) dendrimers with phenylalanine or leucine residues at their chain ends. Thereby, we achieved efficient gene transfection of cells through synergy of the proton sponge effect, which is induced by the internal tertiary amines of the dendrimer, and hydrophobic interaction by the hydrophobic amino acid residues in the dendrimer periphery. Dendrimers having 16, 29, 46, and 64 terminal phenylalanine residues were prepared by the reaction of the amine-terminated poly(amidoamine) G4 dendrimer and L-phenylalanine using condensing reagent 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide.

Rendering poly(amidoamine) or poly(propylenimine) dendrimers temperature sensitive.

The poly(amidoamine) dendrimers having terminal isobutyramide (IBAM) groups were prepared by the reaction of isobutyric acid and the amine-terminated poly(amidoamine) dendrimers with generations (G) of 2 to 5 by using a condensing agent, 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. 1H and 13C NMR revealed that an IBAM group was attached to essentially every chain end of the dendrimers. While the IBAM-terminated G2 dendrimer was soluble in water, the IBAM-terminated G3, G4, and G5 dendrimers exhibited the lower critical solution temperatures (LCSTs) at 75, 61, and 43 degrees C, respectively.

Temperature sensitization of liposomes by use of N-isopropylacrylamide copolymers with varying transition endotherms.

Three kinds of copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) with the same conformational transition temperature and varying transition endotherms were synthesized with N-acryloylpyrrolidine (APr), N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAM), and N-isopropylmethacrylamide (NIPMAM) as the comonomers. Two dodecyl groups were incorporated into the termini of these copolymers as an anchor for the fixation to a liposomal membrane. Egg yolk phosphatidylcholine liposomes having these copolymers were prepared and their temperature-sensitive contents release and association properties were investigated.

Synthesis of novel cationic lipids having polyamidoamine dendrons and their transfection activity.

We designed a novel type of cationic lipid, lipids with a cationic polar group in the polyamidoamine dendron, because these dendron-bearing lipids are expected to form complexes with plasmid DNA and achieve efficient transfection of cells by synergy of endosome buffering and membrane fusion with the endosome, both of which are useful for the promotion of the transfer of plasmid DNA from endosome to cytosol. Four kinds of lipids with polyamidoamine dendrons of first to fourth generations, DL-G1, DL-G2, DL-G3, and DL-G4, were synthesized. The lipid with a dendron of a higher generation exhibited greater ability to form lipoplexes with plasmid DNA, as estimated by agarose gel electrophoresis.

Diarylurea-linked zinc porphyrin dimer as a dual-mode artificial receptor: supramolecular control of complexation-facilitated photoinduced electron transfer.

A novel porphyrinic receptor 1 in which two zinc porphyrins are bridged by two diarylurea linkers was developed for recognition of a viologen derivative (hexyl viologen, HV). The electronic absorption spectra as well as the 1H NMR experiments revealed that the HV molecule was bound to the cleft in 1 mainly through carbonyl dipole-charge interactions to afford a 1:1 complex. From the steady-state fluorescence spectroscopic study, the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from 1 to HV was extremely facilitated by the receptor-substrate complexation.

Effect of poly(ethylene glycol) grafts on temperature-sensitivity of thermosensitive polymer-modified liposomes.

A copolymer of N-isopropylacrylamide and N-acryloylpyrrolidine, which exhibits a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) at 38 degrees C, having a didodecyl group at the chain terminal was synthesized and calcein-loaded liposomes were prepared from a mixture of dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine and the copolymer. While the contents release from the copolymer-modified liposomes was strongly accelerated around the LCST of the copolymer, some extent of the release was also observed below the LCST, probably because the partly-dehydrated copolymer chains interacted with the liposome membrane. When poly(ethylene glycol) with the number average molecular weight of 550 having a didodecyl group at the chain end was introduced into the copolymer-modified liposomes, the contents release from the copolymer-modified liposomes was effectively suppressed below the LCST but hardly affected above the LCST.