Synthesis, iron binding and antimicrobial properties of hexadentate 3-hydroxypyridinones-terminated dendrimers

Macromolecular chelators have potential applications in the medical area, for instance, in treatment of iron overload-related disorders and in the treatment of external infections. In this investigation, several novel iron(III)-selective hydroxypyridinone hexadentate-terminated first and second generation dendrimeric chelators were synthesized using a convergent strategy. Their iron chelating ability was demonstrated by UV/Visible spectrometry and high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The iron binding affinities were also investigated by the competition with a fluorescent iron chelator CP691. The result indicated that these dendrimers possesses a high affinity for iron with a very high pFe³⁺ value, which is close to that of an isolated hexadentate unit. These dendrimeric chelators were found to exhibit inhibitory effect on the growth of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.