Carbohydrate-based experimental therapeutics for cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases

Abstract

This review, primarily for general readers, briefly presents experimental approaches to therapeutics of cancer, HIV/AIDS and various other diseases based on advances in glycobiology and glycochemistry. Experimental cancer and HIV/AIDS vaccines are being developed in attempts to overcome weak immunological responses to carbohydrate-rich surface antigens using carriers, adjuvants and novel carbohydrate antigen constructs. Current carbohydrate-based vaccines are used for typhus, pneumonia, meningitis; vaccines for anthrax, malaria and leishmaniasis are under development. The link between O-linked beta-N-acetylglucosamine glycosylation and protein phosphorylation in diseases including diabetes and Alzheimer's disease is also explored. Carbohydrate-associated drugs that are in current use or under development, such as heparan sulfate binders, lectins, acarbose, aminoglycosides, tamiflu and heparin, and technologies using carbohydrate and lectin microarrays that offer improved diagnostic and drug development possibilities, are described. Advances in carbohydrate synthesis, analysis and manipulation through the emerging fields of glycochemistry and glycobiology are providing new approaches to disease therapeutics.

Chemiluminescent Detection of Carbohydrates in the Tumoral Breast Diseases

“…The importance of glycans for health is exemplified by their leading roles in cancer metastasis and in mediating immune responses [19]. The carbohydrates expression variation in many metabolic processes allows the use of lectins as molecular probes revealing the organization of cell surface glycoconjugates and their changes during aging and diseases [20].…”

Distinction and quantitation of sugar isomers in ternary mixtures using the kinetic method

“…In addition to the storage and transport of energy, carbohydrates and their derivatives are structural elements in cell walls and were recently shown to play a vital role in cell-cell interactions [1,2]. It is becoming more obvious in recent years that carbohydrates present a new dimension in drug design for targeting specific diseases [3]. Various carbohydratebased drugs are currently in use, amongst which Heparin as an anti-coagulant or Tamiflu for treating influenza [4].…”

A glycobiology review: Carbohydrates, lectins and implications in cancer therapeutics

“…Glycobiology is a fertile area that we are just beginning to understand and appreciate. Studies in glycobiology have been advancing at ever increasing rates in the past few years driven by advanced developments in new technologies and in genomics (Wormald and Sharon, 2004; Oppenheimer et al, 2008; Goetz et al, 2009; Powlesland et al, 2009; Rek et al, 2009; Struwe et al, 2009; Yamanaka et al, 2009; Zhang et al, 2009). …”

“…Many human pathogens utilize cell surface glycans as either receptors or ligands to initiate adhesion and infection (Sharon and Lis, 1989, 2003; Zem et al, 2006; Hyun et al, 2007; Oppenheimer et al, 2008; Magalhaes et al, 2009; Mukhopadhyay et al, 2009). Escherichia coli ( E. coli ), for example, binds to host mannosides, while influenza virus binds to host sialic acids (Mukhopadhyay et al, 2009).…”