Characterization of magnetic nanoparticles modified with thiol functionalized PAMAM dendron for DNA recovery

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) modified with the thiol functionalized polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendron were synthesized to estimate their DNA recovery capabilities. Aminosilane-modified MNPs and MNPs surrounded by a phospholipid (distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DSPE)) bilayer were used as core particles. Cystamine-core PAMAM dendrimers were reduced by dithiothreitol to dendron thiols and chemically conjugated to the core particles. Characterization of the synthesis revealed an increase of the surface amine charge from generation 1 (G1) to G6, starting with an aminosilane initiator. Particle size distribution analysis indicated that G6 PAMAM-modified MNPs exhibited monodispersity in an aqueous solution. G6 PAMAM–MNPs and G6 PAMAM–PE–MNPs synthesized by the proposed method have equivalent DNA recovery abilities to PAMAM–MNPs prepared by the conventional divergent synthesis method. In optimized conditions, 96% of λDNA was recovered using G6 PAMAM–PE–MNPs. Therefore, the method for preparing PAMAM–MNPs and PAMAM–PE–MNPs proposed in this study will be a novel approach for producing DNA carriers for efficient DNA purification by magnetic separation.

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► Magnetic nanoparticles were modified with thiol functionalized PAMAM dendron.
► PAMAM dendron-modified magnetic nanoparticles enable efficient DNA recovery.
► In optimized condition, 96% of λDNA was recovered.