Blue-Prints, Synthesis and Applications of Glycopolymers

Abstract

Preparations and applications of a rapidly expanding family of neoglycoconjugates, recently defined as “glycopolymers”, are described. A survey of the most commonly used synthetic strategies will be discussed, together with their advantages and limitations. Incorporation of simple and complex oligosaccharide sequences into glycopolymers will be illustrated. Additionally, some chemo-enzymatic glycosylations of pre-made glycopolymers will be presented with examples that include trans-sialidase and endo-β-D-N-acetylglucosaminidase. Fundamental physical and biochemical properties of glycopolymers will be evaluated considering their designated applications. Many advantages of glycopolymers over other neoglycoconjugates have surfaced in recent years and a brief summary will be highlighted.
As the applications of glycopolymers are rapidly flourishing, their syntheses in forms suitable to specific needs have been foreseen. Consequently, glycopolymers have been synthesized with tailor-made properties by strategies that involve glycopolymers syntheses with probes or effector molecules built-in.
Finally, glycopolymers with specific carbohydrate residues will be used to better describe the wide variety of applications in which they are implicated. Glycopolymers used in cell cultures, epitope characterization, antibody isotyping, immuno-diagnostics, cell targeting, and in inhibition of adherence of pathogens such as influenza viruses will be described. Some recent applications suggest that glycopolymers can also be used for the prognosis of breast cancer proliferation and, in some cases, as anti-inflammatory agents.