Synthesis of non-cytotoxic poly(ester-amine) dendrimers as potential solubility enhancers for drugs: methotrexate as a case study.

This study describes the synthesis of two new families of dendrimers based on the esterification of N-alkylated 3-amine-1-propanol with two different cores, adipic acid (1st and 2nd generations) and ethylenediamine (generation 1.5), both with carboxylic acid end groups, offering a wide variety of further modifications at the periphery. According to the cytotoxic evaluation of the dendrimers and their possible degradation products within cell lines, these materials could be considered as innocuous. In preliminary studies, the synthesized dendrimers proved to be potential enhancers of solubility of highly hydrophobic drugs, like methotrexate, widely used in chemotherapy.