Molecular modeling of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) Starburst™ dendrimers

Highly organized polymeric structures known as Starburst(TM) dendrimers have been subjected to qualitative structural evaluation using molecular modeling tools. These molecules are becoming increasingly important in several different fields ranging from drug delivery to applications in selective adsorption and catalysis, and even as chromatographic materials and adsorbents. Our studies suggest that low generation dendrimers are somewhat asymmetric and that the modification of the dendrimers with molecules such as porphyrins, may lead to the reduced accessibility of other surface groups thus limiting further modification. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.