Hierarchy of Complex Glycomacromolecules: From Controlled Topologies to Biomedical Applications

Biomacromolecules. 2022 Mar 14;23(3):543-575. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.1c01294. Epub 2022 Jan 4.

Abstract

Carbohydrates bearing a distinct complexity use a special code (Glycocode) to communicate with carbohydrate-binding proteins at a high precision to manipulate biological activities in complex biological environments. The level of complexity in carbohydrate-containing macromolecules controls the amount and specificity of information that can be stored in biomacromolecules. Therefore, a better understanding of the glycocode is crucial to open new areas of biomedical applications by controlling or manipulating the interaction between immune cells and pathogens in terms of trafficking and signaling, which would become a powerful tool to prevent infectious diseases. Even though a certain level of progress has been achieved over the past decade, synthetic glycomacromolecules are still lagging far behind naturally existing glycans in terms of complexity and precision because of insufficient and inefficient synthetic techniques. Currently, specific targeting at a cellular level using synthetic glycomacromolecules is still challenging. It is obvious that multidisciplinary collaborations are essential between different specialized disciplines to enhance the carbohydrate receptor-targeting paradigm for new biomedical applications. In this Perspective, recent developments in the synthesis of sophisticated glycomacromolecules are highlighted, and their biological and biomedical applications are also discussed in detail.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Carbohydrates* / chemistry
  • Glycoproteins
  • Macromolecular Substances
  • Polysaccharides* / chemistry

Substances

  • Carbohydrates
  • Glycoproteins
  • Macromolecular Substances
  • Polysaccharides