We have investigated poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer interactions with supported 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) lipid bilayers and KB and Rat2 cell membranes using atomic force microscopy (AFM), enzyme assays, flow cell cytometry, and fluorescence microscopy. Amine-terminated generation 7 (G7) PAMAM dendrimers (10-100 nM) were observed to form holes of 15-40 nm in diameter in aqueous, supported lipid bilayers. G5 amine-terminated dendrimers did not initiate hole formation but expanded holes at existing defects. Acetamide-terminated G5 PAMAM dendrimers did not cause hole formation in this concentration range. The interactions between PAMAM dendrimers and cell membranes were studied in vitro using KB and Rat 2 cell lines. Neither G5 amine- nor acetamide-terminated PAMAM dendrimers were cytotoxic up to a 500 nM concentration. However, the dose dependent release of the cytoplasmic proteins lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and luciferase (Luc) indicated that the presence of the amine-terminated G5 PAMAM dendrimer decreased the integrity of the cell membrane. In contrast, the presence of acetamide-terminated G5 PAMAM dendrimer had little effect on membrane integrity up to a 500 nM concentration. The induction of permeability caused by the amine-terminated dendrimers was not permanent, and leaking of cytosolic enzymes returned to normal levels upon removal of the dendrimers. The mechanism of how PAMAM dendrimers altered cells was investigated using fluorescence microscopy, LDH and Luc assays, and flow cytometry. This study revealed that (1) a hole formation mechanism is consistent with the observations of dendrimer internalization, (2) cytosolic proteins can diffuse out of the cell via these holes, and (3) dye molecules can be detected diffusing into the cell or out of the cell through the same membrane holes. Diffusion of dendrimers through holes is sufficient to explain the uptake of G5 amine-terminated PAMAM dendrimers into cells and is consistent with the lack of uptake of G5 acetamide-terminated PAMAM dendrimers.

Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterine； which may affect nearly 60% of women in reproductive age. Deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) defined as an endometriotic lesion penetrating into the retroperitoneal space or the wall of the pelvic organs to a depth of at least 5 mm represents the most diagnostic challenge. Herein； we reported the use of hyaluronic acid (HA)-modified magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (HA-Fe3O4 NPs) for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of endometriotic lesions in the rodent model. Sixteen endometriotic lesions were surgically induced in eight rats by autologous transplantation. Four weeks after lesion induction； three rats were scanned via MR imaging after tail vein injection of the HA-Fe3O4 NPs. Accordingly； the remaining five mice were sacrificed in the corresponding time points. The ectopic uterine tissues (EUTs) were confirmed by histological analysis. Quantification of Fe in the EUT was also performed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy. Our results showed that by using the HA-Fe3O4 NPs； the EUTs were able to be visualized via T2-weighted MR imaging at 2 hours post injection； corroborating the Prussian blue staining results. The developed HA-Fe3O4 NPs could be used as negative contrast agents for sensitively detecting endometriosis in a mouse model and may be applied for future hyperthermia treatment of endometriosis.