The synthesis and immune stimulating action of mannose-capped lysine-based dendrimers

The syntheses of monodisperse lysine dendrimers, capped with two to sixty-four mono-, di- and tri-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl residues are described. These syntheses used reactive N-hydroxysuccinimide esters to ensure complete reaction of dendrimer amines with the mannosylating reagents. The purities of the dendrimers were established by RP-HPLC and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and were found to be excellent. The relative ability of these glycodendrimers to induce dendritic cell Maturation was measured, however, no significant trends were observed. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.