New polycationic polynorbornene latexes bearing an amphiphilic sugar corona of counterions: synthesis and complexation with DNA

A new family of polycationic polynorbornene with omega-gluconamidoalkanoates and omega-lactobionamidoalkanoates as amphiphilic counterions has been prepared. These polymers spontaneously form stable latexes in water with an amphiphilic sugar corona around the particles. With these counterions, the sugar moieties are separated from the surface of latex particles by the aminoalkanoic acid residue and consequently are remote from the surface of such latexes. Such location of sugar may promote their stronger interaction with cell receptors. These original amphiphilic compartmentalized surface polycationic latexes are able to bind and efficiently complex DNA in very small complexes. Furthermore, because of the effect of the sugar corona on the formation of the complexes, there is only a slight influence of the hydrophobicity of the counterions on DNA packing.