Recent advances in synthesis of sugar and nucleoside coumarin conjugates and their biological impact

Naturally occurring coumarin and sugar molecules have a diverse range of applications along with superior biocompatibility. Coumarin, a member of the benzopyrone family, exhibits a wide spectrum of medicinal properties, such as anti-coagulant, anti-bacterial, anti-tumor, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral activities. The sugar moiety functions as the central scaffold for the synthesis of complex molecules, attributing to their excellent biocompatibility, well-defined stereochemistry, benign nature and outstanding aqueous solubility. When the coumarin moiety is conjugated with the sugar or nucleoside molecule, the resulting conjugates exhibit significant biological properties. Due to the remarkable growth of such bioconjugates in the field of science over the last decade, owing to their future prospect as a potential bioactive core, an update to this area is very much needed. The present review focusses on the synthesis, characterization and the various therapeutic applications of coumarin conjugates, i.e., sugar and nucleoside coumarin conjugates along with their perspective for future research.

Combining CuAAC reaction enables sialylated Bi- and triantennary pseudo mannose N-glycans for investigating Siglec-7 interactions

Naturally occurring N-glycans display much diversity in modifications, linkages, and peripheral presentation of the oligosaccharide chain. Despite continued advancements in oligosaccharide synthesis, synthetic access to these natural glycans remains challenging. Biologically relevant complex N-glycan mimetics with various natural and unnatural modifications are an alternate way for investigating glycan-protein interactions. Further supporting this pattern, we report here a new class of sialylated bi- and triantennary pseudo mannose N-glycans reproducing orientation of the underlying glycan chain and branching patterns and replacing the two inner mannopyranosyl units with 1,2,3-triazole rings. Such mimetics are straightforwardly generated by implementing multiple intermolecular Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition between chemoenzymatically synthesized azido sialosides and rationally designed C-3 and C-6 di-O- or C-2, C-3, and C-6 tri-O-alkynylated mannoside. Human recombinant Siglec-7-Fc fusion protein recognizes almost all sialylated pseudo mannose N-glycans in the microarray. However, a differential Sia-binding pattern was also observed. Given the library size, comparison of pairwise mannose N-glycan combinations showed that biantennary linear α(2,3)α(2,8)- and α(2,6)α(2,8)- or branched α(2,3)α(2,6)-, and triantennary branched α(2,3)α(2,6)-sialyl pseudo N-glycans possess similar binding capabilities and affinity to recombinant Siglec-7-Fc. While the full range of topological mannose arms remain elusive, the bi- and triantennary mimics are simpler structures for interrogating Siglec interactions.

Design, synthesis and molecular docking study of α-triazolylsialosides as non-hydrolyzable and potent CD22 ligands

Ligand 1 was the first reported example of monomeric high-affinity synthetic CD22 ligand that regulated B cell activation in vitro, augmented antibody production and regulated immune responses in mice. Replacing O-glycoside linkage of 1 by nitrogen of triazole by click reaction afforded compounds which are as potent as the parent compound. The synthesis of the new compounds is straightforward with fewer synthetic steps and higher yield. Such a strategy provided stable ligand that can bind avidly and can be conjugated to drugs for B-cell targeting or multimeric formation. The new compounds were screened for their affinity to CD22, using surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Compound 12 was obtained as a bioisosteric analogue and an anomerically stable imitation of 1. It was, also, screened for MAG to test for selectivity and analyzed by molecular docking and dynamic simulation to explore the potential binding modes and source of selectivity within CD22. Our results could enable the development of small molecule drug capable of modulating the activity of CD22 in autoimmune diseases and malignancies derived from B-cells.

Design, synthesis and metal sensing studies of ether-linked bis-triazole derivatives

Ether-linked-bis-triazole derivatives have been synthesized by (CuAAC) “Click” reaction. Interaction of the compound with Hg²⁺has been demonstrated by various spectroscopic techniques which was further confirmed with computational studies.

A concise construction of carbohydrate-tethered axially chiral allenes via copper catalysis

Here we observed that CuBr₂ may smoothly catalyze the highly diastereoselective three-component reaction of carbohydrates bearing a terminal alkyne unit, aliphatic or aromatic aldehydes, and (R) or (S)-α,α-diphenylprolinol, affording carbohydrates bearing the chiral 1,3-substituted allene entity in 94–99% de.

Design and synthesis of multivalent neoglycoconjugates by click conjugations

A highly stereoselective BF₃∙OEt₂-promoted tandem hydroamination/glycosylation on glycal scaffolds has been developed to form propargyl 3-tosylamino-2,3-dideoxysugars in a one-pot manner. Subsequent construction of multivalent 3-tosylamino-2,3-dideoxyneoglycoconjugates with potential biochemical applications was presented herein involving click conjugations as the key reaction step. The copper-catalyzed regioselective click reaction was tremendously accelerated with assistance of microwave irradiation.

Design and synthesis of hydrolytically stable multivalent ligands bearing thiodigalactoside analogues for peanut lectin and human galectin-3 binding

Herein, we describe the design and synthesis of a novel family of hydrolytically stable glycoclusters bearing thiodigalactoside (TDG) analogues as recognition elements of β-galactoside binding lectins. The TDG analogue was synthesized by thioglycosylation of a 6-S-acetyl-α-D-glucosyl bromide with the isothiouronium salt of 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-D-galactose. Further propargylation of the TDG analogue allowed the coupling to azido-functionalized oligosaccharide scaffolds through copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) under microwave activation. The final mono-, di-, and tetravalent ligands were resistant to enzymatic hydrolisis by Escherichia coli β-galactosidase. Binding affinities to peanut agglutinin and human galectin-3 were measured by isothermal titration calorimetry which showed K(a) constants in the micromolar range as well as a multivalent effect. Monovalent ligand exhibited a binding affinity higher than that of thiodigalactoside. Docking studies performed with a model ligand on both β-galactoside binding lectins showed additional interactions between the triazole ring and lectin amino acid residues, suggesting a positive effect of this aromatic residue on the biological activity.

Design and synthesis of a "click" high-mannose oligosaccharide mimic emulating Man8 binding affinity towards Con A

A dendritic "click" mannooligomer mimicking the high-mannose oligosaccharide Man(8) has been designed by replacing some of the inner mannopyranosyl subunits with triazole moieties; evaluation of its binding affinity towards the mannose-specific lectin concanavalin A revealed striking similarities between the "click" mimic and the natural Man(8).

Zeolites and other silicon-based promoters in carbohydrate chemistry

Silicon-based materials, namely zeolites, clays, and silica gel have been widely used in organic synthesis, allowing mild reaction conditions and environmentally friendly methodologies. These heterogeneous catalysts are easy to handle, possess nontoxic and noncorrosive character and offer the possibility of recovery and reuse, thus contributing to clean and sustainable organic transformations. Moreover, they present shape-selective properties and provide stereo- and regiocontrol in chemical reactions. Herein, we survey the most significant applications of silicon-based materials as catalysts in carbohydrate chemistry, to mediate important transformations such as glycosylation, sugar protection and deprotection, and hydrolysis and dehydration. Emphasis is placed on their promising synthetic potential in comparison with conventional catalysts.

Synthesis of fluorophosphonylated acyclic nucleotide analogues via copper(I)-catalyzed Huisgen 1-3 dipolar cycloaddition

Preparation of several acyclonucleosides containing both a difluoromethylphosphonate group and a triazole moiety is described starting from a difluorophosphonosulfide. The key step of the synthesis involves a copper(I)-catalyzed Huisgen 1-3 dipolar cycloaddition between difluorophosphonylated azides and propargylated nucleobases derived from thymine and 2-amino-6-chloropurine.

Efficient construction of therapeutics, bioconjugates, biomaterials and bioactive surfaces using azide-alkyne "click" chemistry

The concept of "click" chemistry, introduced by Sharpless and coworkers a couple of years ago, promotes the use of efficient, selective and versatile chemical reactions in synthetic chemistry. For instance, the copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) is regarded as a prime example of "click" chemistry. This reaction is regioselective, chemoselective and moreover can be performed in aqueous medium at room or physiological temperature. Thus, CuAAC became lately a very popular ligation tool in biological and medical sciences. Several hundred of articles exploring the synthetic possibilities of CuAAC in biosciences have been published within the last four years. The aim of the present review is to give an overall--non exhaustive--picture of this emerging field of research. The advantages and versatility of CuAAC in scientific disciplines as diverse as drug discovery, biochemistry, bioconjugates synthesis, drug-delivery, gene therapy, bioseparation or diagnostics are presented and discussed in detail.