Electron paramagnetic resonance applications: from drug discovery to marine biology studies

The main goal of this thesis was the in-situ characterization of novel nanomolecules, mainly dendrimers, and the study of the interactions occurring between species of biological interest for biomedical and environmental purposes. The characterization and interactions studies were mainly performed by means of the Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) technique, which provides unique and precious information about paramagnetic systems. Chapter 1 is about the design, synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of the anticancer activity of carbosilane metallodendrimers. Several articles, here reported, have been published on this topic. This chapter is opened by a detailed review of the world of metallodendrimers, their current applications, and future prospects. Then, three more articles describing the activity of newly synthesized polymers belonging to this class are going to follow. Chapter 2 is about a new approach to Wilson’s disease treatment. After a brief introduction about this rare pathology, a recently published article is going to describe the synthesis, characterization, and interaction with membrane models of novel glycodendrimers. Chapter 3 is about the evaluation of the physical interaction between PET plastics and phytoplankton. After an introduction describing the current issue of biological pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, an article describing our findings on the topic will close this short chapter.