A new concept in the separation of polyethyleneglycol-modified PAMAM dendrons by liquid chromatography

In this work, a unique high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed and applied for monitoring the synthesis of polyethyleneglycol surface modified poly(amidoamine) cystamine core dendrimers (PEG-PAMAMs) and PEG-PAMAM-alkynes with a single alkyne moiety attached to the core of a dendron through a unique sulfhydryl group. The separation of the products was performed on a column with a pentafluorphenylpropyl stationary phase, allowing multiple mechanisms of selectivity. More than 50 peaks were separated in one run, reflecting the degree of dendrimer PEGylation (PEG average molecular mass: 3,000). Moreover, modification of PAMAM with a single alkyne group could be distinguished. The developed method can be used for the general characterization and separation of PAMAM derivatives, in which the degree of modification is critical for final applications.