Poly(amidoamine)-based Dendrimer/siRNA Complexation Studied by Computer Simulations: Effects of pH and Generation on Dendrimer Structure and siRNA Binding

In this work we report, compare and discuss the results obtained from fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of generations 4, 5, and 6 of PAMAM-based dendrimers having NH3 and triethanolamine as cores, forming complexes with a short interfering RNA (siRNA) at different pH values and at physiological ionic strength. By employing a detailed analysis we demonstrate how features such as molecular size, structural details, and protonation level of this category of dendrimers affect the dendrimer/siRNA complexation. Properties like the conformational flexibility of the dendrimer, the effective charge distribution of the assembly, and the level of intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the two molecular entities are all found to play a significant role in the mutual interactions between the nucleic acid and the hyperbranched molecules. All these features are of key importance in the multifaceted mechanism of dendrimer/gene complexation, and their understanding can provide valuable insight toward the design of more efficient nucleic acid nanocarriers.