Viral Infection Treatment

The good properties of dendrimers include low dispersion index, biocompatibility, and good water solubility, consisting of an inner and an outer layer. The outer layer of dendrimers consists of functional groups that can be used for drug coupling and targeting, while the inner layer exhibits higher drug encapsulation efficiency, which can reduce drug toxicity and has a mechanism to control drug release. The use of dendrimers for the treatment of viral diseases includes antiviral drug delivery and as antiviral agents themselves.

Introduction into the Treatment of Viral Infection

Infectious diseases are caused by microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi and are treated mainly by antibiotic, antiviral, antiparasitic and antifungal therapies. Methods used to treat viral infections include antiviral medications, convalescent plasma, and post-exposure prophylaxis. Antiviral drugs stop the virus from replicating itself, and recovery plasma contains antibodies that can help fight viral infections. However, with the use of many drugs, most of these therapies suffer from drug resistance and severe toxicity. Mechanisms that produce resistance include increased efflux systems, decreased membrane permeability, or increased drug degradation. Because of these limitations, targeted drug delivery systems are attractive vehicles for the treatment of infectious diseases. Infectious diseases can be treated with drugs, but at the same time the emergence of drug resistance can affect the efficacy of disease treatment. There is an urgent need to develop drug delivery systems that can overcome drug resistance.

Dendrimers as Antiviral Agents

Due to their unique structural characteristics, dendrimers may be used in many scientific and industrial fields in the future. When dendrimers are used for disease treatment in the medical field, they can serve as drug carriers on the one hand and have therapeutic properties of their own on the other. Currently, the most used carriers for antiviral drugs include dendrimers, nanoparticles, and micelles. The excellent properties of dendrimers, including the ability to overcome drug resistance, reduce drug toxicity and control drug release, make them ideal systems for the treatment of infectious diseases. In antiviral therapy, many couples of dendrimers with active substances have been developed that improve drug specificity and bioavailability, prolong half-life, and reduce drug toxicity. Several dendritic macromolecules have been developed for biomedical applications. These include polyamidoamine (PAMAM) and poly-l-lysine (PLL).

• PAMAM consists of an ethylenediamine core with branched units composed of amine groups for loading drugs, antibodies, enzymes, and other bioactive agents. PAMAM is widely used for drug delivery and tissue engineering because of its biocompatibility, hydrophilicity, and non-immunogenic properties.
• The core of PLL is usually based on 1,4-diaminobutane or ethylenediamine and can be used as a gene delivery vehicle.

An example of anti-HIV activity of carbosilane dendrimers based on the gp120/CD4 receptor. (Guerrero-Beltran C, et al., 2018)

Dendrimers can block the entry of viruses through electrostatic interactions with viral envelope proteins. The presence of dendrimer functional groups also has a dramatic effect on their antiviral activity. Antiviral drugs loaded onto dendrimers inhibit infection by blocking the attachment of the virus to the target cell or tissue. In addition, the presence of functional groups on dendrimers that can interact with the cell surface also has virucidal effects.

How We Can Help

At CD BioSciences, we have the advanced technology platform and expertise to enhance innovative dendrimer products and high-quality custom services for our global customers. With dedicated scientists and extensive experience, we are committed to helping you solve all the problems in your dendrimer research projects and to meet each of your specific needs. If you are interested in our services or have any other questions, please feel free to contact us.

Reference

1. Guerrero-Beltran C.; et al. Anionic Carbosilane Dendrimers Destabilize the GP120-CD4 Complex Blocking HIV-1 Entry and Cell to Cell Fusion. Bioconjug Chem. 2018, 29: 1584-1594.