Synthesis, antimicrobial activity and structural studies of low molecular mass lysine dendrimers.

Four low molecular mass lysine dendrimers were synthesized by Boc chemistry in solution (155 and 169) and Fmoc chemistry on solid support (P2 and P13). The structure and fragmentation mode of the above dendrimers was investigated in gas phase by the LSI-MS and ESI-MS techniques. (1)H and (13)C NMR analysis in solution (d(6)-DMSO) allowed to confirm the correct structure. Antimicrobial activities of the dendrimers against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans confirmed our hypothesis that the dendrimer structure can be used for construction of molecules interacting with biological membranes.