Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 16.20
Anti-HIV properties of dendrimers depending on the generation and the
shape.
by the multivalency, the lipophilicity, but also the shape on the biological activity
(Figure 16.20) [87].
The last example of biological uses of phosphorus dendrimers concerns their
influence toward immune blood cells. Peripheral blood immune cells are easily
accessible and widespread in thewhole body, thus they are a target of choice for trying
to increase their fighting efficiency against bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections, and
even against cancers. We have demonstrated that some phosphorus-containing
dendrimers are able to promote human monocytes activation [88], possess anti-
inflammatory properties for the human myeloid cell lineage [89], and are able to
increase the efficiency of the IL2-dependent proliferation of human Natural
Killer (NK) cells [90]. Indeed, phosphonates grafted to the surface of phosphorus-
containing dendrimers possess the unexpected property to dramatically and selec-
tively promote the multiplication of human NK cells. Depending on the size of the
dendrimers, the type, the number, and even the geometry of the end groups they bear,
large differences in their bioactivity were observed. The multiplication up to 500-fold
in certain cases was obtained, particularly using dendrimer
55-G
1
, and is unprece-
dented (Figure 16.21). Furthermore, the bioactivity of the NK cells generated in the
