Poly(amidoamine)s : past, present, and perspectives

A review. Poly(amidoamine)s (PAAs) are a family of synthetic polymers obtained by stepwise polyaddn. of prim- or sec-amines to bisacrylamides. Nearly all conceivable bisacrylamides and prim- or sec-amines can be employed as monomers endowing PAAs of a structural versatility nearly unique among stepwise polyaddn. polymers. PAAs are degradable in aq. media, including physiol. fluids. Many of them are remarkably biocompatible notwithstanding their cationic character. PAAs are per se highly functional polymers and, in addn., can be further functionalized giving rise to an endless variety of polymeric structures meeting the requisites for applications in such apparently disparate fields as inorg. water pollutants scavengers, sensors, drug and protein intracellular carriers, transfection promoters, peptidomimetic antiviral and antimalarial agents. In this review, the unique chem. of PAAs is discussed and a vast library of PAA structures and PAA applications from the beginning to the present days reported.