P M Ribeiro Jessica, V Mendonça Patrícia, F J Coelho Jorge, Matyjaszewski Krzysztof, C Serra Arménio
Department of Chemical Engineering, Centre for Mechanical Engineering, Materials and Processes, University of Coimbra, Rua Sílvio Lima-Polo II, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal.
Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Polymers (Basel). 2020 Jun 1;12(6):1268. doi: 10.3390/polym12061268.
The cellular surface contains specific proteins, also known as lectins, that are carbohydrates receptors involved in different biological events, such as cell-cell adhesion, cell recognition and cell differentiation. The synthesis of well-defined polymers containing carbohydrate units, known as glycopolymers, by reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP) methods allows the development of tailor-made materials with high affinity for lectins because of their multivalent interaction. These polymers are promising candidates for the biomedical field, namely as novel diagnostic disease markers, biosensors, or carriers for tumor-targeted therapy. Although linear glycopolymers are extensively studied for lectin recognition, branched glycopolymeric structures, such as polymer brushes can establish stronger interactions with lectins. This specific glycopolymer topology can be synthesized in a bottlebrush form or grafted to/from surfaces by using RDRP methods, allowing a precise control over molecular weight, grafting density, and brush thickness. Here, the preparation and application of glycopolymer brushes is critically discussed and future research directions on this topic are suggested.
细胞表面含有特定的蛋白质，也称为凝集素，它们是参与不同生物事件的碳水化合物受体，如细胞间粘附、细胞识别和细胞分化。通过可逆失活自由基聚合（RDRP）方法合成含有碳水化合物单元的定义明确的聚合物，即糖聚合物，由于其多价相互作用，能够开发出对凝集素有高亲和力的定制材料。这些聚合物是生物医学领域有前景的候选物，即作为新型疾病诊断标志物、生物传感器或肿瘤靶向治疗的载体。尽管线性糖聚合物在凝集素识别方面得到了广泛研究，但支化糖聚合物结构，如聚合物刷，可以与凝集素建立更强的相互作用。这种特定的糖聚合物拓扑结构可以通过RDRP方法以瓶刷形式合成，或接枝到表面/从表面接枝，从而能够精确控制分子量、接枝密度和刷厚度。在此，对糖聚合物刷的制备和应用进行了批判性讨论，并提出了该主题未来的研究方向。
