Lee Cameron C, MacKay John A, Fréchet Jean M J, Szoka Francis C
Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-1460, USA.
Nat Biotechnol. 2005 Dec;23(12):1517-26. doi: 10.1038/nbt1171.
Dendrimers are branched, synthetic polymers with layered architectures that show promise in several biomedical applications. By regulating dendrimer synthesis, it is possible to precisely manipulate both their molecular weight and chemical composition, thereby allowing predictable tuning of their biocompatibility and pharmacokinetics. Advances in our understanding of the role of molecular weight and architecture on the in vivo behavior of dendrimers, together with recent progress in the design of biodegradable chemistries, has enabled the application of these branched polymers as anti-viral drugs, tissue repair scaffolds, targeted carriers of chemotherapeutics and optical oxygen sensors. Before such products can reach the market, however, the field must not only address the cost of manufacture and quality control of pharmaceutical-grade materials, but also assess the long-term human and environmental health consequences of dendrimer exposure in vivo.
树枝状聚合物是具有分层结构的分支合成聚合物，在多种生物医学应用中显示出前景。通过调节树枝状聚合物的合成，可以精确控制其分子量和化学组成，从而可预测地调整其生物相容性和药代动力学。我们对分子量和结构在树枝状聚合物体内行为中作用的理解取得了进展，以及可生物降解化学设计方面的最新进展，使得这些分支聚合物能够用作抗病毒药物、组织修复支架、化疗药物的靶向载体和光学氧传感器。然而，在这类产品能够上市之前，该领域不仅必须解决医药级材料的制造成本和质量控制问题，还必须评估体内接触树枝状聚合物对人类和环境健康的长期影响。
