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-α-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.