Self-assembly of amphiphilic glycoconjugates into lectin-adhesive nanoparticles

Carbohydrate-Functionalized Anthracene Carboximides as Multivalent Ligands and Bio-Imaging Agents

Anthracene carboximides (ACIs) conjugated with gluco-, galacto- and mannopyranosides are synthesized, by glycosylation of N-hydroxyethylanthracene carboximide acceptor with glycosyl donors. Glycoconjugation of anthracene carboximide increases the aq. solubility by more than 3-fold. The glycoconjugates display red-shifted absorption and emission, as compared to anthracene. Large Stokes shift (λabs/λem=445/525 nm) and high fluorescence quantum yields (Φ) of 0.86 and 0.5 occur in THF and water, respectively. The ACI-glycosides undergo facile photodimerization in aqueous solutions, leading to the formation of the head-to-tail dimer, as a mixture of syn and anti-isomers. Solution phase and solid-state characterizations by dynamic light scattering (DLS), microscopic imaging by atomic force (AFM) and transmission electron (TEM) microscopies reveal self-assembled vesicle structures of ACI glycosides. These self-assembled structures act as multivalent glycoclusters for ligand-specific lectin binding, as evidenced by the binding of Man-ACI to Con A, by fluorescence and turbidity assays. The conjugates do not show cellular cytotoxicity (IC50) till concentrations of 50 μM with HeLa and HepG2 cell lines and are cell-permeable, showing strong fluorescence inside the cells. These properties enable the glycoconjugates to be used in cell imaging. The non-selective cellular uptake of the glycoconjugates suggests a passive diffusion through the membrane.

Development of a Novel Lipid-Based Nanosystem Functionalized with WGA for Enhanced Intracellular Drug Delivery

Despite a considerable number of new antibiotics under going clinical trials, treatment of intracellular pathogens still represents a major pharmaceutical challenge. The use of lipid nanocarriers provides several advantages such as protection from compound degradation, increased bioavailability, and controlled and targeted drug release. Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) is known to have its receptors on the alveolar epithelium and increase phagocytosis. The present study aimed to produce nanostructured lipid carriers with novel glycosylated amphiphilic employed to attach WGA on the surface of the nanocarriers to improve intracellular drug delivery. High-pressure homogenization was employed to prepare the lipid nanocarriers. In vitro, high-content analysis and flow cytometry assay was employed to study the increased uptake by macrophages when the nanocarriers were grafted with WGA. A lipid nanocarrier with surface-functionalized WGA protein (~200 nm, PDI > 0.3) was successfully produced and characterized. The system was loaded with a lipophilic model compound (quercetin; QU), demonstrating the ability to encapsulate a high amount of compound and release it in a controlled manner. The nanocarrier surface functionalization with the WGA protein increased the phagocytosis by macrophages. The system proposed here has characteristics to be further explored to treat intracellular pathogens.

Sweetness Reduces Cytotoxicity and Enables Faster Cellular Uptake of Sub-30 nm Amphiphilic Nanoparticles

Glycoconjugates are versatile entities used for the manufacturing of targeted drug delivery nanocontainers because of their outstanding capability to bind to lectins, which are proteins that can be found overexpressed in the membranes of unhealthy cells. The assisted attachment to pathological cells can further enable a more efficient intracellular delivery of loaded active agents, thereby reducing side effects that commonly compromise chemotherapies. In this framework, azide-terminated polyethylene oxide (PEO) chains coupled to a 22-carbon chain were synthesized (azide-PEO₉₀₀-docosanoate). The resulting amphiphile was further functionalized by introducing different sugar moieties to the PEO chains via the click chemistry approach. Sub-30 nm, negatively charged, and spherical nanoparticles were prepared in water by self-assembly of the synthesized molecules using the straightforward nanoprecipitation protocol. The produced entities do not induce hemolysis in red blood cells at c ≤ 200 μg mL^-1, and they are not cytotoxic to healthy cells [telomerase immortalized rhesus fibroblasts (Telo-RF)] at c ≤ 50 μg mL^-1. The sugar-decorated nanoparticles are less cytotoxic compared with their naked counterparts at the concentration range assessed. The kinetics of cellular uptake of both entities into normal (Telo-RF) and tumor (HeLa) cells were monitored via fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. The nanoparticles are internalized faster in cancer cells than in normal cells, regardless of functionalization. Moreover, the functionalized nanoparticles are internalized faster in HeLa cells, while the reverse was observed in healthy Telo-RF cells. The distinct surface characteristics of the assemblies create an opportunity to expedite the uptake of nanoparticles particularly by tumor cells, and this accordingly can lead to a more effective intracellular delivery of therapeutic molecules loaded into nanoparticle's reservoirs.

Sugared biomaterial binding lectins: achievements and perspectives

Lectins, a distinct group of glycan-binding proteins, play a prominent role in the immune system ranging from pathogen recognition and tuning of inflammation to cell adhesion or cellular signalling. The possibilities of their detailed study expanded along with the rapid development of biomaterials in the last decade. The immense knowledge of all aspects of glycan-lectin interactions both in vitro and in vivo may be efficiently used in bioimaging, targeted drug delivery, diagnostic and analytic biological methods. Practically applicable examples comprise photoluminescence and optical biosensors, ingenious three-dimensional carbohydrate microarrays for high-throughput screening, matrices for magnetic resonance imaging, targeted hyperthermal treatment of cancer tissues, selective inhibitors of bacterial toxins and pathogen-recognising lectin receptors, and many others. This review aims to present an up-to-date systematic overview of glycan-decorated biomaterials promising for interactions with lectins, especially those applicable in biology, biotechnology or medicine. The lectins of interest include galectin-1, -3 and -7 participating in tumour progression, bacterial lectins from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA-IL), E. coli (Fim-H) and Clostridium botulinum (HA33) or DC-SIGN, receptors of macrophages and dendritic cells. The spectrum of lectin-binding biomaterials covered herein ranges from glycosylated organic structures, calixarene and fullerene cores over glycopeptides and glycoproteins, functionalised carbohydrate scaffolds of cyclodextrin or chitin to self-assembling glycopolymer clusters, gels, micelles and liposomes. Glyconanoparticles, glycan arrays, and other biomaterials with a solid core are described in detail, including inorganic matrices like hydroxyapatite or stainless steel for bioimplants.

Analysis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry: An update for 2011-2012

This review is the seventh update of the original article published in 1999 on the application of MALDI mass spectrometry to the analysis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates and brings coverage of the literature to the end of 2012. General aspects such as theory of the MALDI process, matrices, derivatization, MALDI imaging, and fragmentation are covered in the first part of the review and applications to various structural types constitute the remainder. The main groups of compound are oligo- and poly-saccharides, glycoproteins, glycolipids, glycosides, and biopharmaceuticals. Much of this material is presented in tabular form. Also discussed are medical and industrial applications of the technique, studies of enzyme reactions, and applications to chemical synthesis. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Mass Spec Rev 36:255-422, 2017.

Tunable amphiphilic graft copolymers bearing fatty chains and polyoxazoline: synthesis and self-assembly behavior in solution

Synthesis and self-assembly behavior in solution of tunable copolymers with amphiphilic grafts based on fatty chain polymethacrylate and polyoxazoline.

New glycosylated conjugate copolymer N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminyl-pluronic: Synthesis, self-assembly and biological assays

This work describes the synthesis of a new glycosylated conjugate copolymer, GlcNAc-PEO75-PPO30-PEO75-GlcNAc (GlcNAc-PluronicF68-GlcNAc), using click chemistry from Pluronic(®) F68 and propargyl-2-N-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranoside. Micelles were prepared by the self-assembly of GlcNAc-PluronicF68-GlcNAc in phosphate-buffered solution. The critical micelle concentration was determined by fluorescence spectroscopy, and the value was found to be equal to 5.8mgmL(-1). The Gibbs free energy (ΔG) of micellization is negative, indicating that the organization of amphiphiles is governed by the hydrophobic effects in an entropy-driven process. The scattering characterization of GlcNAc-PluronicF68-GlcNAc micelles showed a hydrodynamic radius of 8.7nm and negative zeta potential (-21.0±0.9mV). The TEM image evidences the spherical shape of the objects self-assemble into highly regular micelles having a mean diameter of 10nm. The SAXS profile confirmed the spherical shape of the assemblies comprising a swollen PPO core (Rcore=2.25nm) stabilized by PEO chains following Gaussian statistics. The results of the comet assay showed that the GlcNAc-PluronicF68-GlcNAc micelles were not genotoxic, and the cell viability test was higher than 97% for all concentrations, demonstrating that GlcNAc-PluronicF68-GlcNAc is not toxic.

Glycopolymer-based nanoparticles: synthesis and application

This review focuses on the different approaches to synthesizing glycopolymer-based nanoparticles and their various applications.

Photodimerization as an alternative to photocrosslinking of nanoparticles: proof of concept with amphiphilic linear polyoxazoline bearing coumarin unit

The photo-dimerization of the coumarinated inner compartment of the nanoparticles is investigated.

Self-assembly of phosphorous containing oligomers: morphological features and pH-sensitiveness in suspension

Methacrylamide-based oligomers bearing phosphonate pending groups at the end of a long alkyl chain and originating from undecylenic acid synthons were subjected to direct oligomer dissolution. Size improvement towards much smaller objects was reached using the nanoprecipitation method: the oligomers were first dissolved in an organic solvent, and then precipitated in water using a syringe pump. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) showed phosphorous containing monomodal and quite narrow-sized self-assemblies in water with hydrodynamic diameters (DH) ranging from 80 to 280 nm (depending on the oligomer system). Direct visualization using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed filled and almost individual particles with spherical shape. They were considerably shrunk, suggesting the highly swollen character of the self-assemblies in suspension. Morphological information on the multi-scale self-assembled structures was complementarily obtained using static light scattering (SLS). Thus, at a low length-scale, highly segregated sub-units having sharp boundaries surrounded by water (Porod behaviour) were observed, whereas at a high length-scale random non-compact organization of these sub-units via weak interactions was found, forming a chaplet-like structure (Gaussian behaviour). Furthermore, the pH-sensitiveness of the suspensions obtained after the nanoprecipitation method was studied. Particularly, at pH = 12, the characteristic size drastically increased within few hours from typically ∼280 nm to 2 μm due to electrostatic repulsion between deprotonated hydroxyl groups. At longer times, the observed peculiar behaviour corresponded to the model of diffusion-limited cluster aggregation (DLCA) where the particles stuck easily together upon contact [continuation of the article by C. Bouilhac, C. Travelet, A. Graillot, S. Monge, R. Borsali and J.-J. Robin, Polym. Chem., 2014, 5, 2756-2767].

Sulfated glycosaminoglycan-based block copolymer: preparation of biocompatible chondroitin sulfate-b-poly(lactic acid) micelles

Despite a growing interest in amphiphilic polysaccharide-based diblock copolymers as functional polymeric drug delivery nanosystems, biologically relevant sulfated glycosaminoglycan systems were not yet investigated. Here, we report the synthesis and the self-assembly properties in water of chondroitin sulfate-b-poly(lactic acid) (CS-b-PLA(n)). The CS-b-PLA(n) were synthesized using click-grafting onto method implying reducing-end alkynation of low-molecular weight depolymerized CS (M(w) = 5000 g·mol(-1)) and azide-terminated functionalization of PLAn (M(w) = 6500 g·mol(-1) (n = 46) and M(w) = 1700 g·mol(-1) (n = 20)). The diblock copolymer self-assembled in water giving rise to spherical micelles that were characterized in solution using dynamic/static light scattering and at dry state by TEM technique. In vitro assays on healthy cells showed that at high concentrations, up to 10 μg·mL(-1), CS-b-PLA(n) were noncytotoxic. Those preliminary studies are promising in the perspective to use them as biocompatible nanovehicles for anticancer drug delivery.

Synthesis of fatty phosphonic acid based polymethacrylamide by RAFT polymerization and self-assembly in solution

RAFT polymerization of dimethyl(methacrylamido)dodecylphosphonate (DMADP-(OMe)₂) was successfully achieved and resulting polymer proved to self-assemble in liquid media.

Synthesis of amphiphilic diblock copolymers derived from renewable dextran by nitroxide mediated polymerization: towards hierarchically structured honeycomb porous films

A novel dextran-SG1 macro-alkoxyamine was designed to afford amphiphilic linear block copolymers synthesized by nitroxide mediated polymerization toward the formation of hierarchically structured bio-resourced honeycomb films.

Polymerization-induced self-assembly of galactose-functionalized biocompatible diblock copolymers for intracellular delivery

Recent advances in polymer science are enabling substantial progress in nanobiotechnology, particularly in the design of new tools for enhanced understanding of cell biology and for smart drug delivery formulations. Herein, a range of novel galactosylated diblock copolymer nano-objects is prepared directly in concentrated aqueous solution via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization using polymerization-induced self-assembly. The resulting nanospheres, worm-like micelles, or vesicles interact in vitro with galectins as judged by a turbidity assay. In addition, galactosylated vesicles are highly biocompatible and allow intracellular delivery of an encapsulated molecular cargo.

Synthesis and characterization of solvent-invertible amphiphilic hollow particles

Previous researches on solvent-dependent polymer systems mainly focus on amphiphilic invertible polymers (AIPs), which are capable of forming solvent-dependent micellar or inverse micellar assemblies. However, polymer particles that are invertible in response to solvent polarity are almost unexplored. In this paper, we report a new type of invertible hollow polymer (IHP) particle that is comprised of polyethylenimine-g-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PEI-g-PMMA) copolymer. The amphiphilic PEI-g-PMMA hollow particles were first prepared through synthesis of well-defined PEI/PMMA core-shell particles, followed by removal of PMMA homopolymer from the core. The resulting IHP particles can be stably dispersed in both nonpolar solvent and water. We have investigated the morphology and surface property of the particles in both dichloromethane (DCM) and water using transmission electron microscopy, water contact angle measurement, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis to gain insight into this unique particle dispersibility. Sustainability of the solvent-invertible property was carefully studied through repeated treatment of the IHP particles in DCM or water for up to six cycles. Solvent-dependent property of the dry films formed by IHP particles was also investigated through water contact angle measurement. Increasing water content on the DCM-treated IHP particle film could reduce the water contact angle from 94° to 51°. Our results demonstrate that the amphiphilic hollow particles are a new type of polymer design for smart materials that are invertible in response to nonpolar and aqueous media in both dispersed and solid states.

Multivalent glycoconjugate syntheses and applications using aromatic scaffolds

Glycan-protein interactions are of utmost importance in several biological phenomena. Although the variety of carbohydrate residues in mammalian cells is limited to less than a dozen different sugars, their spatial topographical presentation in what is now associated as the "glycocodes" provides the fundamental keys for specific and high affinity "lock-in" recognition events associated with a wide range of pathologies. Toward deciphering our understanding of these glycocodes, chemists have developed new creative tools that included dendrimer chemistry in order to provide monodisperse multivalent glycoconjugates. This review provides a survey of the numerous aromatic architectures generated for the multivalent presentation of relevant carbohydrates using covalent attachment or supramolecular self-assemblies. The basic concepts toward their controlled syntheses will be described using modern synthetic procedures with a particular emphasis on powerful organometallic methodologies. The large variety of dendritic aromatic scaffolds, together with a brief survey of their unique biophysical and biological properties will be critically reviewed. The distinctiveness of the resulting multivalent glycoarchitectures, encompassing glycoclusters, glycodendrimers and molecularly defined self-assemblies, in forming well organized cross-linked lattices with multivalent carbohydrate binding proteins (lectins) together with their photophysical, medical, and imaging properties will also be briefly highlighted. The topic will be presented in increasing order of aromatic backbone complexities and will end with fullerenes together with self-assembled nanostructures, thus complementing the various scaffolds described in this special thematic issue dedicated to multivalent glycoscience.

Fabrication of biopolymeric complex coacervation core micelles for efficient tea polyphenol delivery via a green process

Nanoencapsulation is a promising method to improve the bioavailability of tea polyphenol (TPP). In this work, we adopted a green process to develop a new kind of complex coacervation core micelles (C3Ms) based on biopolymers for efficient tea polyphenol delivery. First, gelatin-dextran conjugate was synthesized using Maillard reaction. Then the C3Ms were produced by mixing gelatin-dextran conjugate with TPP. Variable factors on the self-assembly of the C3Ms were investigated. Under optimal conditions, the obtained C3Ms are of nanosize (average 86 nm in diameter) with narrow distribution. The formation of the C3Ms is attributed to hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding instead of electrostatic interaction. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) results showed that C3Ms have a spherical shape with core-shell structure. ζ-Potential measurement suggested that the core is composed of gelatin with TPP, whereas the shell is composed of dextran segments. The encapsulation efficiency of the C3Ms is pH-independent, but the loading capacity is controllable and as high as 360 wt % (weight/weight of protein). In addition, the C3Ms show sustained release of TPP in vitro. MTT assay revealed that the C3Ms have comparable or even stronger cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells than free TPP.