An efficient strategy for noncovalent protein glycosylation has been developed by in situ saccharide-based nanoencapsulation. The positive monomer dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate is enriched on the protein surface via electrostatic adhesion, enabling free radical polymerization to generate nanocapsules with saccharides on the surface of the protein complex. Comparable to the glycosylation of native proteins, the d-fructose coated polymeric shell layer significantly enhanced the stability of proteins, rendering proteins with cell selectivity and tumor-specific distribution in MCF-7 breast tumor-bearing mice xenografts. Also, glycosylation improved the shelf life of therapeutic proteins which would further benefit manufacturing and facilitate transportation.
Keywords: bovine serum albumin; d-fructose; glucose oxidase; nanocapusule; noncovalent protein glycosylation.