Acid- and salt-triggered multifunctional poly(propylene imine) dendrimer as a prospective drug delivery system

A novel dendrimeric compound is designed with the objective of simultaneously addressing issues commonly encountered in drug delivery, i.e., stability in biological milieu as well as targeting. For this purpose, a multifunctional dendrimeric system derived from diaminobutane poly(propylene imine) dendrimers (DAB) is prepared bearing at its external surface poly(ethylene glycol) chains and guanidinium moieties. For these moieties, it has been established that they exhibit protective and targeting properties, respectively. The release of encapsulated compounds is triggered by titration with acids followed by the addition of sodium chloride solution. Specifically for pyrene, the solubilization site of which can be clearly traced, protonation leads to a distribution between the core and the poly(ethylene glycol) chains in the periphery of the dendrimer while it is released to the aqueous bulk solution by the addition of sodium chloride. The release of betamethasone valerate is also triggered by the addition of sodium chloride solution.