A mannose-6-phosphonate–cholesterylamine conjugate as a specific molecular adhesive linking cancer cells with vesicles

Abstract

A hydrolytically stable sugar phosphonate coupled to a steroid via a long and semi-rigid spacer (synthesized via a 12-step sequence) binds both to the mannose-6-phosphonate receptors of certain cancer cells and to the lipid bilayer of vesicles, thereby serving as a multivalent adhesive between cell and vesicle surfaces.