Molecular Recognition of Carbohydrates by Artificial Receptors

Carbohydrates present a formidable challenge for molecular recognition due to their high polarity, structural diversity and extensive hydration in aqueous environments. Artificial receptors seek to emulate the selective binding properties of natural lectins by combining complementary shapes, hydrogen-bond donors and aromatic surfaces to engage saccharide hydroxyl groups and ring CH units. Design strategies range from acyclic scaffolds bearing multiple recognition arms to rigid platforms that pre-organise binding motifs for optimal complementarity. Key driving forces include hydrogen bonding, CH–π interactions, electrostatic contacts and multivalency, the latter providing enhanced affinity through simultaneous engagement of multiple sugar units. Recent advances have introduced fluorogenic systems that couple binding to an optical signal, and biomimetic receptors that achieve affinities rivalling those of natural lectins. Applications span biomedical diagnostics, targeted drug delivery, inhibition of pathogen adhesion and environmental sensing. The global significance of this field lies in its potential to overcome limitations of enzyme- or antibody-based assays, to provide robust sensors for complex media and to afford insight into fundamental carbohydrate recognition processes on cell surfaces.

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Molecular Recognition of Carbohydrates by Artificial Receptors publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in molecular recognition of carbohydrates by artificial receptors across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Synthetic lectin: An artificial molecule designed to mimic the carbohydrate-binding properties of natural lectins through complementary shape and binding motifs.

Multivalency: The presentation of multiple recognition units on a single receptor scaffold to achieve enhanced binding affinity via simultaneous interactions.

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE): A photophysical phenomenon whereby fluorescence is activated upon aggregation of certain chromophores, often harnessed in chemosensors.

Glycomimetic: A synthetic compound that mimics the structure and binding properties of natural glycans to interact with carbohydrate-binding proteins or receptors.

CH–π interaction: A noncovalent contact between a carbohydrate C–H bond and an aromatic π system, contributing to binding specificity and strength.

References

1. Small lectin ligands as a basis for applications in glycoscience and glycomedicine. Chemical Society Reviews (2024).
2. Fluorophore-Probed Curdlan Polysaccharide Chemosensor: “Turn-On” Oligosaccharide Sensing in Aqueous Media. ACS Omega (2024).
3. Platform Synthetic Lectins for Divalent Carbohydrate Recognition in Water. Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2016).
4. A Simple Biomimetic Receptor Selectively Recognizing the GlcNAc2 Disaccharide in Water. Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2021).