Poly(triazolyl methacrylate) glycopolymers as potential targeted unimolecular nanocarriers

• Published in: Nanoscale Vol. 11; no. 44; pp. 21155 - 21166
• Main Authors: Madeira do O, J, Foralosso, R, Yilmaz, G, Mastrotto, F, King, P. J. S, Xerri, R. M, He, Y, van der Walle, C. F, Fernandez-Trillo, F, Laughton, C. A, Styliari, I, Stolnik, S, Mantovani, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Royal Society of Chemistry 28.11.2019
• Subjects: Biomedical materials; Computer simulation; Concanavalin A; Concanavalin A - chemistry; Coordination compounds; Drug Carriers - chemistry; Fluorescence; Glycopolymers; Hydrophobicity; Lectins; Low molecular weights; Methacrylates - chemistry; Molecular dynamics; Molecular Dynamics Simulation; Molecular weight; Peanut Agglutinin - chemistry; Peanuts; Polymers - chemistry; Spectrometry, Fluorescence; Surface tension
• ISSN: 2040-3364; 2040-3372
• DOI: 10.1039/c9nr05836b

Synthetic glycopolymers are increasingly investigated as multivalent ligands for a range of biological and biomedical applications. This study indicates that glycopolymers with a fine-tuned balance between hydrophilic sugar pendant units and relatively hydrophobic polymer backbones can act as single-chain targeted nanocarriers for low molecular weight hydrophobic molecules. Non-covalent complexes formed from poly(triazolyl methacrylate) glycopolymers and low molecular weight hydrophobic guest molecules were characterised through a range of analytical techniques - DLS, SLS, TDA, fluorescence spectroscopy, surface tension analysis - and molecular dynamics (MD) modelling simulations provided further information on the macromolecular characteristics of these single chain complexes. Finally, we show that these nanocarriers can be utilised to deliver a hydrophobic guest molecule, Nile red, to both soluble and surface-immobilised concanavalin A (Con A) and peanut agglutinin (PNA) model lectins with high specificity, showing the potential of non-covalent complexation with specific glycopolymers in targeted guest-molecule delivery. The ability of poly(triazolyl methacrylate) glycopolymers to function as unimolecular targeted carriers for hydrophobic guest molecules was investigated using a combination of experimental and computational techniques.