Authors:
Shaodong Zhang, Hao-Jan Sun, Andrew D. Hughes, Ralph-Olivier Moussodia, Annabelle Bertin, Yingchao Chen, Darrin J. Pochan, Paul A. Heiney, Michael L. Klein, and Virgil Percec
Summary:
A constitutional isomeric library synthesized by a modular approach has been used to discover six amphiphilic Janus dendrimer primary structures, which self-assemble into uniform onion-like vesicles with predictable dimensions and number of internal bilayers. These vesicles, denoted onion-like dendrimersomes, are assembled by simple injection of a solution of Janus dendrimer in a water-miscible solvent into water or buffer. These dendrimersomes provide mimics of double-bilayer and multibilayer biological membranes with dimensions and number of bilayers predicted by the Janus compound concentration in water. The simple injection method of preparation is accessible without any special equipment, generating uniform vesicles, and thus provides a promising tool for fundamental studies as well as technological applications in nanomedicine and other fields.
Source:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (05/22/14)