Cationic branched polymers for cellular delivery of negatively charged cargo.

ABSTRACT: Receptor-independent cellular uptake of small molecule therapeutics is limited by their physical interaction with the negatively charged surface of cellular membranes. Passive diffusion through the hydrophobic membrane bilayer follows this process. Unless specific carriers exist in the biological membrane, such interactions limit therapeutics to those that are hydrophobic with modest positive charge at physiological pH. Small negatively charged molecules are therefore not efficient as therapeutics. To enable delivery of such molecules into eukaryotic cells, cationic branched polymers with tetraalkylammonium pendant groups were synthesized by copolymerization of a functional monomer (glycidyl methacrylate) with degradable and non-degradable divinyl crosslinkers in the presence of an efficie

SUBMITTER: Follit CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5830148 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature