In this paper, the current available strategies to realize galactose-decorated
nanostructured polymeric systems are summarized. These carriers are designed in order
to obtain targeted drug delivery to hepatocytes via galactose (GAL) moieties, i.e. for the
treatment of viral hepatitis or liver cancer that are the greater causes of global disability
and mortality. Usually, the main followed strategy to obtain galactosylated polymeric
carriers is to use galactosylated copolymers. The chemical modifications of preformed
polymers with sugar-containing reagents is followed for obtaining lactosaminated
human albumin, galactosylated phospholipid-polyaminoacid and polylactide (PLA)-
polyaminoacid conjugates obtained from α,β-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)-D,L-aspartamide
(PHEA) or lactosaminated carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC). Galactosylated polymers
are also obtained via the polymerization of GAL-bearing monomers, that is for
obtaining galactosylated polycarbonates. Finally, the surface galactosylation of
preformed polymeric carriers is an alternative strategy that can be used to obtain a
GAL-decorated system, that is for obtaining dendrimers based on polyamidoamine
(PAMAM)-GAL conjugates.
Keywords: Asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R), carboxymethyl chitosan
(CMC), galactose (GAL), hepatocytes, lactosaminated albumin, liver targeting,
poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers,
polycarbonates, polylactide (PLA), xyloglucan, α, β-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)-D, Laspartamide
(PHEA).
