Recent advances in the metallo-glycodendrimers and its potential applications

• Synthesis of metalloglycodendrimers.
• Metalloglycodendrimers as fluorescent and electrochemical lectin biosensor.
• Metalloglycodendrimers as growth promoter.
• Metalloglycodendrimers as contrast and radioactive markers.

Ever since the discovery of the phenomenon of multivalent representation of sugar to enhance the binding affinity of specific carbohydrate-protein interactions, the quest for the construction of carbohydrate clusters, with precise geometries that are highly specific to lectin, has been the goal of synthetic chemists. In addition to multivalency, the presence of redox, fluorescence, radioactive nature of glyco-cluster will improve the prospect of direct readout of specific carbohydrate-protein interactions. To address this question, the design of metallo-glycodendrimers with precise sugar topology is critically important. In this review, we provides an overview of the important roles that metallo-glycodendrimers can play as lectin binding molecules, highlighting the unique properties metals can confer to these studies.

Development of a facile synthesis of optical, electrochemical and radioactive glycodendrimers promises to greatly impact the investigation of weak carbohydrate-protein interactions. Besides traditional probes, they have been synthesized on metal complexes proven to be useful for carbohydrate-mediated biosensors and imaging agents. This review article focuses on synthetic strategies for the preparation of metalloglycodendrimers and highlights their applications in glycobiology.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide