A convenient synthetic pathway for multivalent assembly of aminoglycoside antibiotics starting from amikacin.

Vinylpolymers carrying a kanamycin cluster at the side chain were prepared via regioselective N-acylation of amikacin with N-succinimidyl p-vinylbenzoate, followed by radical homo- and co-polymerization with acrylamide. Two independent biological assays disclosed that the polyvalent kanamycin models showed neither antibacterial activity nor inhibitory activity against rRNA-based protein synthesis, suggesting that the multivalency-binding approach is not valid for integrating the potential of aminoglyoside anitibiotics.