[Lectin-based therapy applications from the laboratory to practice]

Abstract

Thorough analysis of the principles of molecular recognition is the basis for rational development of clinical applications. Currently, our knowledge is expanding, how biological information is encoded in a language of carbohydrate moieties, constituting the glycopart of cellular glycoconjugates. Carbohydrate-binding proteins like lectins can specifically bind these ligands. This glycobiological interplay participates in recognitive inter- and intracellular processes that enable to devise clinical schemes with rational perspective like targeted drug delivery, non-steroidal treatment of inflammation or lectin ligand-dependent treatment of infectious diseases. Besides the ligands, lectins, too, can be of therapeutical value, e.g. as biomodulators in the immune system. The rapid development within glycobiology allows to propose that certain aspects can well find their place in veterinary practice after proving their efficacy in clinical trials.