title: The Diels-Alder reaction: A powerful tool for the design of drug delivery systems and biomaterials.
abstract: Click reactions have the potential to greatly facilitate the development of drug delivery systems and biomaterials. These reactions proceed under mild conditions, give high yields, and form only inoffensive by-products. The Diels-Alder cycloaddition is one of the click reactions that do not require any metal catalyst; it is one of the most useful reactions in synthetic organic chemistry and material design. Herein, we highlight possible applications of the Diels-Alder reaction in pharmaceutics and biomedical engineering. Particular focus is placed on the synthesis of polymers and dendrimers for drug delivery, the preparation of functionalized surfaces, bioconjugation techniques, and applications of the Diels-Alder reaction in nanotechnology. Moreover, applications of the reaction for the preparation of hydrogels for drug delivery and tissue engineering are reviewed. A general introduction to the Diels-Alder reaction is presented, along with a discussion of potential pitfalls and challenges. At the end of the article, we provide a set of tools that may facilitate the application of the Diels-Alder reaction to solve important pharmaceutical or biomedical problems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gregoritza
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany. Electronic address: ferdinand.brandl@ur.de.
authors.forename: Ferdinand P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Brandl
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D061565:Cycloaddition Reaction; D050091:Dendrimers / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D020100:Hydrogels; D023822:Tissue Engineering
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D050091:Dendrimers; D020100:Hydrogels
keywords: Bioconjugation; Biomaterials; Click chemistry; Dendrimers; Diels–Alder reaction; Drug delivery; Hydrogels; Nanoparticles; Polymers; Surface functionalization