Cell targeting by glycosidic telomers. Specific recognition of the Kb CWL1 lectin by galactosylated telomers.

This work deals with the synthesis and lectinic recognition ability of galactosylated telomers. To investigate if telomeric carriers could exhibit cellular recognition properties, we have synthesized mono-and polygalactosylated tris(hydroxymethyl)acrylamidomethane (THAM) telomers. The affinity of such macromolecular drug carriers toward a receptor, the yeast Kb CWL1 lectin, was defined, and the influence of mono- or polygalactosylation of THAM units on the recognition phenomenon was assessed. The lectinic affinity of the compounds was estimated by measuring the inhibition of yeast aggregation. The average degree of polymerization as well as the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance of such galactosylated telomers affects their recognition ability for the lectin.