Enantioselective synthesis of polyhydroxyindolizidinone and quinolizidinone derivatives from a common precursor

A concise asymmetric synthetic route to two new tetrahydroxyindolizidinone and quinolizidinone derivatives has been developed from a common intermediate which featured a highly selective dihydroxylation reaction and a RCM reaction as key steps.

Conformationally-locked N-glycosides: exploiting long-range non-glycone interactions in the design of pharmacological chaperones for Gaucher disease

Pyranoid-type glycomimetics having a cis-1,2-fused glucopyranose-2-alkylsulfanyl-1,3-oxazoline (Glc-PSO) structure exhibit an unprecedented specificity as inhibitors of mammalian β-glucosidase. Notably, their inhibitory potency against human β-glucocerebrosidase (GCase) was found to be strongly dependent on the nature of aglycone-type moieties attached at the sulfur atom. In the particular case of ω-substituted hexadecyl chains, an amazing influence of the terminal group was observed. A comparative study on a series of Glc-PSO derivatives suggests that hydrogen bond acceptor functionalities, e.g. fluoro or methyloxycarbonyl, significantly stabilize the Glc-PSO:GCase complex. The S-(16-fluorohexadecyl)-PSO glycomimetic turned out to be a more potent GCase competitive inhibitor than ambroxol, a non glycomimetic drug currently in pilot trials as a pharmacological chaperone for Gaucher disease. Moreover, the inhibition constant increased by one order of magnitude when shifting from neutral (pH 7) to acidic (pH 5) media, a favorable characteristic for a chaperone candidate. Indeed, the fluoro-PSO derivative also proved superior to ambroxol in mutant GCase activity enhancement assays in N370S/N370S Gaucher fibroblasts. The results presented here represent a proof of concept of the potential of exploiting long-range non-glycone interactions for the optimization of glycosidase inhibitors with chaperone activity.

Asymmetric synthesis of substituted NH-piperidines from chiral amines

Previously, we reported an efficient asymmetric synthesis of substituted piperidines through an exocyclic chirality induced nitroalkene/amine/enone (NAE) condensation reaction. An effective protecting group strategy was developed herein to achieve enantiopure piperidines (yields up to 92%) with complete chirality retention (ee > 95%). A simple derivatization of the obtained piperidines gave thiourea catalysts, indicating the strong potential of this method for producing new amine-based dual functional organocatalysts for future development.

Targeted delivery of pharmacological chaperones for Gaucher disease to macrophages by a mannosylated cyclodextrin carrier

Efficient delivery of pharmacological chaperones for Gaucher disease to macrophages has been achieved.