Influence of Structural Parameters on the Self-Association Properties of Anti-HIV Catanionic Dendrimers

The self-association properties of anti-HIV catanionic dendrimers as multivalent galactosylceramide (GalCer)-derived inhibitors are presented. The study was designed to elucidate the origin of the relatively high cytotoxicity values of these anti-HIV catanionic dendrimers, which have previously been found to exhibit in vitro anti-HIV activity in the submicromolar range. The physicochemical properties of these catanionic dendrimers were studied to tentatively correlate the structural parameters with self-association and biological properties. We can conclude from this study that the absence of correlation between the hydrophobicity and the cytotoxicity of the catanionic systems could be explained by the partial segregation of the different partners of the catanionic entities.