An increasing number of pathologies have been linked to Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) activation and signaling, therefore new hit and lead compounds targeting this receptor activation process are urgently needed. We report on the synthesis and biological properties of glycolipids based on glucose and trehalose scaffolds which potently inhibit TLR4 activation and signaling in vitro and in vivo. Structure-activity relationship studies on these compounds indicate that the presence of fatty ester chains in the molecule is a primary prerequisite for biological activity and point to facial amphiphilicity as a preferred architecture for TLR4 antagonism. The cationic glycolipids here presented can be considered as new lead compounds for the development of drugs targeting TLR4 activation and signaling in infectious, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases. Interestingly, the biological activity of the best drug candidate was retained after adsorption at the surface of colloidal gold nanoparticles, broadening the options for clinical development.
Precise control over the architecture of gene carriers is instrumental to manipulate gene delivery efficiency.Combining cationic centers and carbohydrate motifs into monodisperse architectures has been proposed as a suitable strategy to impart nucleic acid condensation abilities while preserving biocompatibility. Herein, we have assessed the influence of the arrangement and orientation of cationic elements on the self-assembling and gene transfer capabilities of polycationic glycoamphiphilic cyclodextrins (pGaCDs). For such purposes, a series of cyclodextrin multiconjugates bearing aminoglucoside motifs at their primary rim and hexanoyl chains at the secondary positions were synthesized. In the presence of pDNA, pGaCDs self-assemble into nanoaggregates that promote cellular uptake and gene expression in COS-7 cells with efficiencies that are intimately associated with the arrangement of amino functionalities imposed by the aminoglucoside antennae onto the cyclodextrin-scaffolded cluster. Although transfection efficiencies were lower than those observed for polyethyleneimine (PEI)-based polyplexes and previously-reported polycationic amphiphilic cyclodextrins (paCDs), the results reported herein illustrate (i) the dramatic influence that subtle architectural modifications exert on the supramolecular organization of pGaCDs and (ii) the virtues of monodisperse systems for tailoring gene transfer capabilities.
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