glycopolymer

Glycopolymers are polymers that carry carbohydrate moieties either as pendant groups along the backbone or as units in the main chain. They are designed to mimic the multivalent presentation of glycans found on cell surfaces and glycoproteins, enabling specific interactions with carbohydrate-binding proteins such as lectins. Glycopolymers are distinct from glycoproteins in that their carbohydrate content is covalently integrated into a synthetic polymer scaffold rather than being part of a native protein structure.

Glycopolymers are prepared by polymerizing glycomonomers bearing sugar residues or by post-polymerization modification to install glycans. Common routes include RAFT, ATRP, and ROMP, enabling control of molecular weight and architecture. The sugar units may be pendant on side chains or embedded in the main chain; glycopolymers can also be obtained by grafting glyco-oligomers or by glycosylating preformed polymers via click chemistry.

Properties and applications: The multivalent display of sugars imparts high affinity toward lectins and other carbohydrate-binding proteins, and often confers water solubility and biocompatibility. Applications span biomolecular recognition studies, vaccine design, anti-adhesion therapies, drug delivery, biosensing, and tissue engineering. Challenges include synthesis complexity, consistency in glycan density, stability, and potential immunogenicity; rigorous characterization by NMR, GPC, FTIR, and mass spectrometry is common.