Novel Iodinated Dendritic Nanoparticles for Computed Tomography (CT) Imaging

The design, synthesis, and characterization of novel water-soluble iodinated dendritic nanoparticles, G-4-(DMAA-IPA)37, is reported. They consist of a generation 4 Starburst PAMAM dendrimer core and 3-N-[(N‘,N‘-dimethylaminoacetyl)amino]-α-ethyl-2,4,6-triiodobenzenepropanoic acid (DMAA-IPA) molecules covalently attached to the surface. These nanoparticles have an average molecular weight of 37,000 g/mol, a hydrodynamic radius of 2.4 nm and high iodine content (33.06%), while retaining their overall charge and water solubility. Thus, G-4-(DMAA-IPA)37 is the first representative of a novel class of dendritic nanoparticles for computed tomography (CT) imaging.