Eco-friendly and efficient modification of native hemicelluloses via click reactions

An atom-economic strategy is proposed to valorise the byproducts from an invasive bamboo with improved thermal stability for potential use in composites.

Multivalent Presentations of Glycomimetic Inhibitor of the Adhesion of Fungal Pathogen Candida albicans to Human Buccal Epithelial Cells

Candida albicans causes some of the most prevalent hospital-acquired fungal infections, particularly threatening for immunocompromised patients. C. albicans strongly adheres to the surface of epithelial cells so that subsequent colonization and biofilm formation can take place. Divalent galactoside glycomimetic 1 was found to be a potent inhibitor of the adhesion of C. albicans to buccal epithelial cells. In this work, we explore the effect of multivalent presentations of glycomimetic 1 on its ability to inhibit yeast adhesion and biofilm formation. Tetra-, hexa-, and hexadecavalent displays of compound 1 were built on RAFT cyclopeptide- and polylysine-based scaffolds with a highly efficient and modular synthesis. Biological evaluation revealed that the scaffold choice significantly influences the activity of the lower valency conjugates, with compound 16, constructed on a tetravalent polylysine scaffold, found to inhibit the adhesion of C. albicans to human buccal epithelial cells more effectively than the glycomimetic 1; however, the latter performed better in the biofilm reduction assays. Interestingly, the higher valency glycoconjugates did not outperform the anti-adhesion activity of the original compound 1, and no significant effect of the core scaffold could be appreciated. SEM images of C. albicans cells treated with compounds 1, 14, and 16 revealed significant differences in the aggregation patterns of the yeast cells.

Flexible Synthetic Carbohydrate Receptors as Inhibitors of Viral Attachment

Carbohydrate-receptor interactions are often involved in the docking of viruses to host cells, and this docking is a necessary step in the virus life cycle that precedes infection and, ultimately, replication. Despite the conserved structures of the glycans involved in docking, they are still considered "undruggable", meaning these glycans are beyond the scope of conventional pharmacological strategies. Recent advances in the development of synthetic carbohydrate receptors (SCRs), small molecules that bind carbohydrates, could bring carbohydrate-receptor interactions within the purview of druggable targets. Here we discuss the role of carbohydrate-receptor interactions in viral infection, the evolution of SCRs, and recent results demonstrating their ability to prevent viral infections in vitro. Common SCR design strategies based on boronic ester formation, metal chelation, and noncovalent interactions are discussed. The benefits of incorporating the idiosyncrasies of natural glycan-binding proteins-including flexibility, cooperativity, and multivalency-into SCR design to achieve nonglucosidic specificity are shown. These studies into SCR design and binding could lead to new strategies for mitigating the grave threat to human health posed by enveloped viruses, which are heavily glycosylated viroids that are the cause of some of the most pressing and untreatable diseases, including HIV, Dengue, Zika, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2.

Crystal structure of poly[(μ2-1,4-bis((2-ethyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-1-yl)methyl)benzene-κ2N:N′)(μ2-isophthalato-κ4O,O′:O′′,O′′′)cadmium(II)], C34H30N4O4Cd

C34H30N4O4Cd, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 10.382(2) Å, b = 18.102(4) Å, c = 18.449(5) Å, β = 123.32(2)°, V = 2897.3(12) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0540, ωRref(F2) = 0.1069, T = 293(2) K.

Cationic and dicationic 1,2,3-triazolium-based poly(ethylene glycol ionic liquid)s

We report the synthesis and in-depth characterization of two novel poly(ionic liquid)s having poly(ethylene glycol) main chains and side chains having either one or two 1,2,3-triazolium cations with triethylene glycol spacers and bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide counter anion(s).

Crystal structure of poly-[μ-1,4-bis(2-ethylbenzimidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene-κ2 N:N′)-bis(μ3-5-hydroxyisophthalate(2–)-κ3 O,O′:O′′)dicadmium(II)] monohydrate, C64H54N8O11Cd2

C64H54Cd2N8O11, monoclinic, P21/c (No. 14), a = 10.314(2) Å, b = 18.290(4) Å, c = 16.516(6) Å, β = 113.91(2)°, V = 2848.3(13) Å3, Z = 2, R gt (F) = 0.0440, wR ref (F 2 ) = 0.0890, T = 293(2)K.

Crystal structure of catena-poly[tetraaqua-(μ 2-4,4′-bipyridine-k2 N:N′)-zinc(II)] fumarate tetrahydrate, C14H26N2O12Zn

C14H26N2O12Zn, triclinic, P1̅, a = 7.051(9) Å, b = 7.807(10) Å, c = 9.752(12) Å, α = 79.374(13)°, β = 86.453(14)°, γ = 72.699(14)°, V = 503.7(11) Å3, Z = 1, R gt (F) = 0.0296 wR ref (F 2 ) = 0.0783, T = 296(2) K.