Amine-containing transfection reagents and methods for making and using same

A compound having the general structure I, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof:

• wherein:
• each of X1 and X2 is a moiety independently selected from the group consisting of O and NH;
• each of Y and Z is C═O;
• each of R1 is independently selected from the group consisting of substituted or unsubstituted, branched or unbranched alkyl groups having between 3 and 20 carbon atoms;
• each of R2 is independently selected from the group consisting of substituted or unsubstituted, branched or unbranched alkyl groups having between 3 and 20 carbon atoms, or
• is hydrogen or absent when m=p=0;
• each of R4, R5, R6 and R7 is a moiety independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, substituted or unsubstituted, branched or unbranched aliphatic group;
• x is 1 or 2;
• n is 1 or 3;
• m is 0, 1, or 3;
• p is an integer independently having the value of 0 or 1;
• R3 is selected from:
• wherein
• each N* indicates the nitrogen atom N in the above structure I to which-(CR4R5)n—Y-X1-R1 and —(CR6R7)m—(Z—X2)p—R2 are attached, and each H on any * position may be replaced with —(CR4R5)n—Y-X1-R1 or —(CR6R7)m—(Z—X2)p—R2 groups to achieve the attachment to the nitrogen atom when the N* is the nitrogen atom N in structure I.