Figure 1.

(A). Schematic representation of the characteristic pattern of cancer-associated glycosylation. The three main glycan changes (i.e., altered branching of N-glycans, the expression of truncated O-glycans, and increased sialylation/fucosylation) can be found in cancer due to genetic or epigenetic alterations in genes of glycosylation enzymes-glycosyltransferases and glycosidases. Abbreviations: GalNAc, N-acetylgalactosamine; Neu5Ac, sialic acid; GlcNac, N-acetylglucosamine; Fuc, fucose; Gal, galactose; Man, mannose; Tn, Tn antigen; STn, sialyl-Tn antigen; SLe^x, sialyl-Lewis^X. (B). Overview on the anti-tumor mechanisms of natural lectins and anti-glycan antibodies that can be advantageous for the cancer nanomedicine. (a) The binding of lectins to tumor-associated carbohydrates antigens present on the surface of cancer cells elicits cell killing through apoptosis, autophagy, and immunomodulatory activity against cancer. (b) Abs can recognize TACAs and induced cell death via different mechanisms, such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, complement-dependent cytotoxicity, and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis.