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resulting HPMCT polymer. Therefore, given the prior art, it was not obvious that simply changing the substitution from a dicarboxylic acid moiety like phthalate to a tricarboxylic acid moiety like trimellitate would yield a compound with superior solubility and carboxylilc acid group dissociation at low pH and at the same time be an effective agent against multiple infectious organisms. Just as each compound and each variant with respect to substitution per mole of glucose, needed to be tested empirically for their solubility and carboxylic acid dissociation profiles, there also was no a priori predictive indicator of how each would affect the different infectious agents described in this application. 

[0263] The degree of substitution of the HPMCT polymer used in the following assay contained approximately 35 mole percent trimellitate, that is 0.35 moles oftrimellityl per mole of bl-4 linked glucose dimer (one repeat unit). The effectiveness of HPMCT at 35% trimellitate substitution presented in this application is representative of the effec› tiveness of the compounds of the present invention an as anti-viral agent. Other HPMCTs having variations in the mole percent substitution can also be synthesized. It is to be noted that in the following examples unless indicated to the contrary, the HPMCT utilized has 35% trimellitate substi› tution per mole of repeat unit. 

[0264] In addition to the electrostatic enhancement pro› vided by the trimellitate group to the cellulose backbone, the ability of the polymer to interact with viral glycoproteins is also enhanced by the presence of the substituents described herein, e.g., phenyl ring. Specific hydrophobic forces can help stabilize the interaction of the polymers, copolymers and oligomers of this invention with HIV-1 gp 120 and gp41. Therefore, without wishing to be bound, it is believed that the polymers of Formula I and II are effective in that they strike a balance between electrostatic and hydrophobic inter› action capability so to enhance molecular binding of said compounds with target glycoproteins on viral and/or cellular surfaces. It is believed, without wishing to be bound, that interaction with HIV-1 viral surface proteins including gp120 and gp41 specifically requires both electrostatic and hydrophobic interaction to effect tight binding that would prevent viral interaction with cell surface receptors such as CD4 or co-receptors like CCR5 and CXCR4. In order to achieve tight binding that blocks infectivity of cells, the polymer is preferably present in the molecularly dispersed state. Therefore, the presence of the substituents described hereinabove, such as phenyl groups as in the case of trimellitic modification is desirable for tailoring the hydro› phobicity function of the molecule in order to affect the desired biological activity. According to the present inven› tion, hydrophobicity can be imparted by e.g., selecting an intermediate anhydride, or other equivalent modifying reagent, with a strong hydrophobic group such as those bearing one or more aromatic rings including phenyl, naph› thyl, and the like with known hydrophobic character. It is thus feasible to tailor the molecule with a smaller number of strong hydrophobic groups, like naphthyl, or a larger num› ber of less hydrophobic groups like phenyl. One skilled in the art possesses the ability to strike the above balance between hydrophobicity, solubility and dissociation proper› ties by manipulating the parameters of the modification and degree of substitution to arrive at the desired performance. The modifications according to the present invention are not limited to reactions with anhydrides but include any substi› tution at R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 in Formula I and R 5 in Formula II or any hydroxyl group in the cellulosic backbone skeleton. 

Therefore the scope of the invention should not be limited by the discrete formulae or examples covered in the specifica› tion. 

[0265] To illustrate the versatility ofthis application Table 1 lists a representative set of moieties that are covalently linked to a cellulose or acrylic polymer backbone, using the above described procedures, or a procedure similar to it, that someone skilled in the art could realize. 

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