DIVALENT, TRIVALENT, AND TETRAVALENT DENDRITIC GALABIOSIDES THAT INHIBIT HEMAGGLUTINATION BY STREPTOCOCCUS-SUIS AT NANOMOLAR CONCENTRATION

Galabiose (Gal alpha 1-4Gal) derivatives were coupled to carrier molec ules having mono-, di-, tri-, and tetrameric functionalities, thus cre ating mono- to tetravalent dendritic galabiosides (1-9). The di- to te travalent galabiosides were several hundred times more efficient than the monomeric galabiosides in inhibiting hemagglutination by the Gram- positive bacterium Streptococcus suis, resulting in complete inhibitio n at low nanomolar concentrations. This is unprecedented in the field of inhibition of bacterial adhesion by soluble compounds.