Glyconanomaterials: Emerging applications in biomedical research

Abstract

Carbohydrates constitute the most abundant organic matter in nature, serving as structural components and energy sources, and mediating a wide range of cellular activities. The emergence of nanomaterials with distinct optical, magnetic, and electronic properties has witnessed a rapid adoption of these materials for biomedical research and applications. Nanomaterials of various shapes and sizes having large specific surface areas can be used as multivalent scaffolds to present carbohydrate ligands. The resulting glyconanomaterials effectively amplify the glycan-mediated interactions, making it possible to use these materials for sensing, imaging, diagnosis, and therapy. In this review, we summarize the synthetic strategies for the preparation of various glyconanomaterials. Examples are given where these glyconanomaterials have been used in sensing and differentiation of proteins and cells, as well as in imaging glycan-medicated cellular responses.

A biotechnological perspective on the application of iron oxide nanoparticles

“…Ferumoxytol has potential for use as a contrast agent in imaging studies of the lymph system, especially involving lymph nodes that have been affected by cancer. Ferumoxytol is taken up by normal lymph nodes, but excluded from cancerous lymph node tissue [176][177][178].…”

Quantitative Fluorine NMR To Determine Carbohydrate Density on Glyconanomaterials Synthesized from Perfluorophenyl Azide-Functionalized Silica Nanoparticles by Click Reaction

“…A variety of glyconanomaterials have been developed, such as carbohydrate-coated gold nanoparticles, carbon nanomaterials, quantum dots, silica nanoparticles, etc., and have found utilities in for example biosensing, imaging and therapeutics. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] The binding affinity of the glyconanomaterials with their receptors is the most important feature that dictates the performance of the glyconanomaterials in these applications. In order to calculate the affinity constant, the carbohydrate density on the nanomaterials must be determined.…”

Recent advances in biosensing using magnetic glyconanoparticles

“…Throughout the years, many nanosystems bearing carbohydrates have been prepared as multivalent scaffolds for a variety of applications, such as sensing, imaging or cellular targeting [9,[49][50][51]. One of the major advantages of glycoMNPs over other systems is that they exhibit superparamagnetism [52], meaning that in the absence of a magnetic field and at room temperature, a spontaneous flip of magnetization occurs owing to thermal effects.…”