 Galectins, a subfamily of animal lectins, are implicated in numerous biological activities including regulation of apoptosis, intracellular trafficking and cell adhesion. These activities play important roles in inflammation, immunity, cancer progression/migration and HIV infection. Galectins are binding galactosides and lactosides substrates: they may be a therapeutic target for inflammatory diseases, cancers and several other diseases related to viruses infection. In that perspective, we present the synthesis of two very simple glycoproteins analogues: the first one is the association of an oligosaccharide block, galactan, linked linearly to a polypeptide block, poly(?-benzyl-L-glutamate) (1). The second one was built from a diblock peptidic copolymer on which lactose units were grafted by using Huisgen cycloaddition (2,3). Both macromolecular systems were amphiphilic and able to self-assemble into small nanoparticles in water having sizes below 50 nm and displaying sugars moieties at their surface. Galectins targeting was therefore studied to compare activities of lactose and galactan in solution or at the surface of the nanoparticles. Interestingly, nanoparticles made of galactan-based glycopolypeptides showed a significant multivalent effect, which was not evidenced by using lactose-based materials.1- C. Schatz et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2009, 48 , 2572-2575.2- C. Bonduelle et al., Chem. Commun., 2012, 48 , 8353-8355.3- J. Huang et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2012, 134  , 119-122.

Galactan and lactose based nanoparticles to target galectin 1 and 3

246th National Meeting (2013)

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