Synthesis of a selective inhibitor of a fucose binding bacterial lectin from Burkolderia ambifaria

10-May-2013 - Italy

Pathogen-associated lectins are considered to be attractive targets for the development of anti-adhesive drugs. It is of great importance to design sugar-based derivatives able to selectively bind to specific pathogen-associated lectins with the aim of fighting bacterial infections without interfering with human lectins involved in physiological processes.

Scientists in Italy report the first example of a synthetic ligand able to selectively bind, in the micromolar range, the pathogen-lectin BambL. BambL is a fucose-specific lectin from Burkholderia ambifaria, a bacterium member of the Burkolderia cepacia complex (BCC), a closely related group of Gram-negative bacteria responsible for cepacia syndrome in immunocompromised patients.

The fucose-based mimetic is therefore a promising candidate for the development of antibacterial agents against infection by B. ambifaria.

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