SYNTHESIS OF AN ALLOPURINOL RIBOSIDE-MANNOSYLATED POLY-L-LYSINE CONJUGATE

The synthesis of a mannosylated carrier used as a drug delivery system to target specifically an antileishmanial drug allopurinol riboside - hydroxy-1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-1H-pyrazolo(3,4-d) pyrimidine] into Lei shmania donovani infected macrophages via their membrane lectin is des cribed. The synthetic construct is made of a poly-L-lysine backbone, p artially acylated with delta-gluconolactone to enhance its water-solub ility and substituted with glycyl-glycine asa spacer arm. O-p-phenylis othiocyanate-5'-phosphodiester derivatives of allopurinol riboside and of inosine were synthesized and attached to the spacer arm, then the remaining spacer arms were substituted by reaction with phenyl acetate mannosyl residues.