A facile synthetic approach to L- and P-selectin blockers via copolymerization of vinyl monomers constructing the key carbohydrate modules of sialyl LewisX mimics.

Abstract

A highly practical synthetic approach is described for artificial L- and P-selectin blockers. The synthesis involves radical bi- and terpolymerizations of p-(N-acrylamido)phenyl 3- or/and 6-sulfo-beta-D-galactoside with allyl alpha-L-fucoside in the presence of acrylamide. Each of the two glycosyl monomers constructs a key carbohydrate module responsible for selectins/sulfated sialyl LewisX (sLeX) bindings. Whereas an acrylamide copolymer carrying 3-sulfo-galactoside showed no activity for any selectins, the fucosylated terpolymer showed a potent activity to block both of P- and L-selectins/sLeX binding at a concentration of a few micrograms per milliliter. The enhanced activity is apparently ascribed to the cooperative binding effects of the fucoside and the 3-sulfo-galactoside residues.