Glycopolymer
Glycopolymer is synthetic polymer with pendant carbohydrates.[1] Glycopolymers play an important role in many biological recognition events such as cell-cell adhesion, development of new tissues and infectious behavior of virus and bacteria. They have high potential in targeted drug delivery, tissue engineering and synthesis of bio-compatible materials.
The first glycopolymer was synthesized in 1978 via free radical polymerization.[2] During the last three decades, enormous efforts have been devoted to synthesizing glycopolymers with various structures and sizes, and the synthesis techniques have widened to controlled/living radical polymerisation, ring-opening polymerization, ring-opening metathesis polymerization and post-functionalization.
References
- ^ Pearson, S., G. Chen, and M.H. Stenzel, Synthesis of Glycopolymers. Engineered Carbohydrate-Based Materials for Biomedical Applications. 2011: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1-118.
- ^ Horoejsí, V., O. Chaloupecká, and j. Kocourek, Studies on lectins: XLIII. Isolation and characterization of the lectin from restharrow boots (Ononis hircina Jacq.). Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects, 1978. 539(3): p. 287-293.