Nanotechnology-derived platforms, such as dendrimers, are very attractive in several biological applications. In the case of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, polyanionic carbosilane dendrimers have shown great potential as antiviral agents in the development of novel microbicides to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV-1. In this work, we studied the mechanism of two sulfated and naphthylsulfonated functionalized carbosilane dendrimers, G3-S16 and G2-NF16. They are able to inhibit viral infection at fusion and thus at the entry step. Both compounds impede the binding of viral particles to target cell surface and membrane fusion through the blockage of gp120-CD4 interaction. In addition, and for the first time, we demonstrate that dendrimers can inhibit cell-to-cell HIV transmission and difficult infectious synapse formation. Thus, carbosilane dendrimers' mode of action is a multifactorial process targeting several proteins from viral envelope and from host cells that could block HIV infection at different stages during the first step of infection.

Dendrimers for Biomedical Applications Group University of Alcalá Alcalá de Henares Madrid Spain

Faculty of Science Jan Evangelista Purkyně University Ústí nad Labem Czech Republic

Health Research Institute Gregorio Marañon Madrid Spain

Laboratory of Applied Mathematics and Physics University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland Manno Switzerland

Molecular Immunobiology Laboratory General Universitary Hospital Gregorio Marañon Madrid Spain

Networking Research Center on Bioengineering Biomaterials and Nanomedicine Madrid Spain

Spanish HIV HGM BioBanK Biomaterials and Nanomedicine Madrid Spain

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