Glycofullerene–AuNPs as multivalent ligands of DC-SIGN and bacterial lectin FimH: tuning nanoparticle size and ligand density

Abstract

Glycoclusters have been extensively investigated for their inhibition of multivalent carbohydrate-protein interactions, which is often the first step for bacterial and viral pathogens to selectively bind their host cells. Glycoclusters...

Probing the pH-dependency of DC-SIGN/R multivalent lectin–glycan interactions using polyvalent glycan-gold nanoparticles

“…Therefore, elucidating the mechanisms which glycoconjugates form strong and specific MLGIs with multimeric lectins is of great importance and significance, allowing us to design effective glycoconjugates to potently block specific MLGIs, thereby preventing viral infections. 4,12–17 Compared to other approaches, this antiviral strategy has a unique advantage because it can effectively prevent viral mutation and acquire resistance. 14,18 While free glycans can be directly employed for this purpose, they are unlikely to be effective because of their weak monovalent binding affinity with target lectins.…”

“…By displaying multiple glycans onto suitable nanoscale scaffolds, the resulting polyvalent glycoconjugates can bind multivalently with multimeric lectins, resulting in greatly enhanced MLGI affinity, up to 5–6 orders of magnitude, over the corresponding monovalent affinity. 7,13–17,19,20 In this regard, nanomaterials are robust scaffolds for displaying multivalent glycans for potent lectin targeting. In particular, gold nanoparticles, GNPs, are well-suited for constructing polyvalent glycoconjugates, owing to their advantageous properties, such as low-/nontoxicity, 21 widely available size and shape range, and robust gold–thiol surface chemistry for easy tuning of the glycan density and valency.…”

“…In particular, gold nanoparticles, GNPs, are well-suited for constructing polyvalent glycoconjugates, owing to their advantageous properties, such as low-/nontoxicity, 21 widely available size and shape range, and robust gold–thiol surface chemistry for easy tuning of the glycan density and valency. 15,17,20,22 Notably, their large surface-area-to-volume ratio is also advantageous in forming stable, well-presented three-dimensional displays of target glycans. 12,17,20 Furthermore, glycan-functionalised GNPs (glycan-GNPs) have excellent colloidal stability, high biocompatibility and resistance against non-specific interactions; these make them well-suited for a wide range of biological and biomedical applications.…”

“…15,17,20,22 Notably, their large surface-area-to-volume ratio is also advantageous in forming stable, well-presented three-dimensional displays of target glycans. 12,17,20 Furthermore, glycan-functionalised GNPs (glycan-GNPs) have excellent colloidal stability, high biocompatibility and resistance against non-specific interactions; these make them well-suited for a wide range of biological and biomedical applications. 9,17,20,23…”

“…12,17,20 Furthermore, glycan-functionalised GNPs (glycan-GNPs) have excellent colloidal stability, high biocompatibility and resistance against non-specific interactions; these make them well-suited for a wide range of biological and biomedical applications. 9,17,20,23…”