Dendrimers are appealing scaffolds for creating carbohydrate mimics with unique multivalent cooperativity. We report here novel bola-amphiphilic glycodendrimers bearing mannose and glucose terminals, and a hydrophobic thioacetal core responsive to reactive oxygen species. The peculiar bola-amphiphilic feature enabled stronger binding to lectin compared to the conventional amphiphile. In addition, these dendrimers are able to target mannose receptors and glucose transporters expressed at the surface of cells, allowing effective and specific cellular uptake. All these highlight their great promise for targeted delivery.
