Effect of temperature on glycopolymer and Con A binding properties

Glycopolymers, a type of synthetic polymer featuring attached carbohydrate components, have emerged as an advanced avenue for different types of biological applications. Their promise stems from their ability to engage in lectin-carbohydrate interactions with specific proteins. In this study, 8 distinct glycopolymers in terms of sugar number, chain length and responsive unit were prepared via Reversible Addition Fragmentation Chain Transfer (RAFT) polymerization. By conducting aggregation, reverse aggregation, and inhibitory potency assays across a temperature range of 10 to 60 ℃, we explored how these parameters influence lectin-carbohydrate interactions in relation to temperature. N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA) and N-isopropylacrylamide. (NIPAM) were used as a second monomer to synthesize random and block copolymers due to their hydrophilicity and thermal responsive behaviour, respectively. The binding results showed that while all glycopolymers showed faster binding properties at higher temperatures, there was a notable and more significant increase in the case of block co-glycopolymers (P4 and P5) compared to the other glycopolymers. Additionally, the obtained MIC50 values from inhibitory potency assay proved that all glycopolymers exhibited greater effectiveness as inhibitors of Concanavalin A (Con A) at elevated temperatures.