Combined A3 Coupling and Click Chemistry Approach for the Synthesis of Dendrimer-Based Biological Tools.

Abstract

We report a versatile approach in which two highly efficient chemical reactions, multicomponent A3 coupling and alkyne-azide click chemistry, are combined to construct dendrimer-based tools for applications in biology. Using a convergent approach, dendrons with desired architecture and an alkyne at the focal point are first assembled and then stitched together via multicomponent A3 coupling reaction. The desired functional groups, including a stealth agent, imaging dye, and drug molecules, could be easily covalently linked to the surfaces of these hyperbranched macromolecules using alkyne-azide click chemistry. These A3-click dendrimers are noncytotoxic at concentrations as high as 1 μM and in fact reduce the toxicity of the drug. The dye-coated dendrimers specifically target and localize in lipid droplets. This unison methodology represents an attractive chemical strategy in exploiting the untapped potential of A3 coupling and facilitating the development of nanodevices for imaging and drug delivery.