Zirconium(IV) chloride-catalyzed synthesis of 1,2-trans-1-thioglycopyranosides

Triflic acid-mediated synthesis of thioglycosides

An efficient synthesis of thioglycosides from per-acetates in the presence of triflic acid is described. The developed protocol features high reaction rates and product yields. Some reactive sugar series give high efficiency in the presence of sub-stoichiometric trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TfOH) in contrast to other known protocols that require multiple equivalents of Lewis acids to reach high conversion rates.

Glycosyl nitrates in synthesis: streamlined access to glucopyranose building blocks differentiated at C-2

In an attempt to refine a CAN-mediated synthesis of 1,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-α-d-glucopyranose (2-OH glucose) we unexpectedly discovered that this reaction proceeds via the intermediacy of glycosyl nitrates. Improved mechanistic understanding of this reaction led to the development of a more versatile synthesis of 2-OH glucose from a variety of precursors. Also demonstrated is the conversion of 2-OH glucose into a variety of building blocks differentially protected at C-2, a position that is generally hard to protect regioselectively in the glucopyranose series.

Synthesis and immunochemical evaluation of a novel Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A tetrasaccharide and its conjugate

A tetrameric repeating unit of capsular polysaccharide of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A was synthesized which mimicked natural polysaccharide in immunochemical analysis.

Chemistry of xylopyranosides

Xylose is one of the few monosaccharidic building blocks that are used by mammalian cells. In comparison with other monosaccharides, xylose is rather unusual and, so far, only found in two different mammalian structures, i.e. in the Notch receptor and as the linker between protein and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains in proteoglycans. Interestingly, simple soluble xylopyranosides can not only initiate the biosynthesis of soluble GAG chains but also function as inhibitors of important enzymes in the biosynthesis of proteoglycans. Furthermore, xylose is a major constituent of hemicellulosic xylans and thus one of the most abundant carbohydrates on Earth. Altogether, this has spurred a strong interest in xylose chemistry. The scope of this review is to describe synthesis of xylopyranosyl donors, as well as protective group chemistry, modifications, and conformational analysis of xylose.

β-Xylopyranosides: synthesis and applications

In recent years, β-xylopyranosides have attracted interest due to the development of biomass-derived molecules. This review focuses on general routes for the preparation of β-xylopyranosides by chemical and enzymatic pathways and their main uses.

Stereocontrolled 1-S-glycosylation and comparative binding studies of photoprobe-thiosaccharide conjugates with their O-linked analogs

The use of thioglycosides and other glycan derivatives with anomeric sulfur linkages is gaining increasing interest, both in synthesis and in various biological contexts. Herein, we demonstrate the occurrence and circumvention of anomerization during 1-S-glycosylation reactions, and present highly efficient and stereocontrolled syntheses of a series of photoprobe-thiosaccharide conjugates. Mutarotation of glycosyl thiols proved to be the origin of the anomeric mixtures formed, and kinetic effects could be used to circumvent anomerization. The synthesized carbohydrate conjugates were then evaluated by both solution- and solid-phase-based techniques. Both binding results showed that the S-linked glyco-sides interact with their cognate lectins comparably to the corresponding O-analogs in the present cases, thus demonstrating the reliability of the solid-support platform built upon our photo-initiated carbohydrate immobilization method for probing protein bindings, and showing the potential of combining these two means for studying carbohydrate-protein interactions.

Highly Diastereoselective Thioglycosylation of Functionalized Peracetylated Glycosides Catalyzed by MoO2Cl2

Among 18 oxometallic species, MoO2Cl2 was found to be the most reactive in catalytic thioglycosylation of O-acetylated glycosides with functionalized thiols in CH2Cl2, leading cleanly to 1,2-trans-thioglycosides with exclusive diastereocontrol. The new catalytic protocol is applicable to a monoglycoside building block and beta-(1-->6)-S-linked-thiodisaccharide synthesis. [reaction: see text].

Synthesis of a potent antagonist of E-selectin

A synthesis of an antagonist of E-selectin previously reported by a group at Novartis Pharma in Basel is described. An important feature involves the formation of an ether linkage based on a Rh(II)-catalyzed reaction. Stereocontrolled glycosylations rely on the anomeric activation of 2-pyridylthio carbonate as leaving group for the attachment of beta-D-galactopyranosyl and alpha-L-fucopyranosyl units on a common 1,5-anhydro D-glucitol scaffold.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of a potent E-selectin antagonist

An early step of the inflammatory response-the rolling of leukocytes on activated endothelial cells-is mediated by selectin/carbohydrate interactions. The tetrasaccharide sialyl Lewis(x) (sLe(x)) 1 is a ligand for E-, P-, and L-selectin and, therefore, serves as a lead structure to develop analogues which allow the control of acute and chronic inflammation. Here we describe the efficient synthesis (10 linear steps) of the potent sLe(x) mimetic 2. Compared to sLe(x), compound 2 showed a 30-fold improved affinity in a static, cell-free E-selectin-ligand binding assay (IC(50) = 36 microM). These data were confirmed by a marked inhibition in an in vitro cell-cell rolling assay which simulates in vivo conditions (IC(50) approximately 40 microM). The assays are predictive for the in vivo efficacy of test compounds as indicated by a marked inhibitory effect of 2 in a thioglycollate induced peritonitis model of acute inflammation in mice (ED(50) approximately 15 mg/kg).

Synthetic Approaches to Novel Archaeal Tetraether Glycolipid Analogues

Symmetrical and unsymmetrical archaeal tetraether glycolipid analogues have been prepared. The syntheses are based upon the elaboration of lipid cores from versatile chiral starting materials followed by simultaneous or sequential introduction of polar headgroups. Three pathways (A-C) were elaborated for the synthesis of stereochemically defined lipids 14-16 characterized by a straight bridging spacer and two dihydrocitronellyl chains attached to glycerol units at the sn-3 and sn-2 positions, respectively. Pathway C appeared to be particularly advantageous for the synthesis of tetraether 9, which possesses a cyclopentane unit as found in thermoacidophilic lipids. Diglycosylated lipids 4-6 were produced in 49-53% yields by reaction of diols 14-16 with beta-D-galactofuranosyl donor 31, whereas unsymmetrical lipids possessing either two different carbohydrate units 7 or a saccharidic moiety and a phosphate group 8 were efficiently prepared from monoprotected diol 35. These compounds represent the first examples of tetraether-type analogues containing a phosphate unit and/or glycosyl moieties.

Synthesis of 2- and 4-nitrophenyl beta-glycosides of beta-(1-->4)- D-xylo-oligosaccharides of dp 2-4

2- and 4-Nitrophenyl beta-D-xylopyranosides (4 and 5) were transformed, via dibutyltin oxidemediated acylation, into the corresponding 2,3-di-O-benzoyl derivatives 11 and 15. Xylobiose and xylotriose were easily isolated by charcoal column chromatography from a commercially available material and converted into the di- and trisaccharide methyl 1-thio-beta-glycosides 36 and 37. The 2-and 4-nitrophenyl beta-glycosides of the beta-(1-->4)-D-xylo-oligosaccharides of dp 2-4 were synthesized by N-iodosuccinimide-silver triflate-promoted condensation using 11 and 15 as the glycosyl acceptors and ethyl 1-thio-beta-D-xylopyranoside triacetate 16, 36, and 37 as the glycosyl donors. Also described are an improved preparation of 4 and 5, and the synthesis of 1-naphthyl beta-D-xylopyranoside, as well as an alternative approach to the 2- and 4-nitrophenyl beta-xylobiosides.

Synthesis of the laminara-oligosaccharide methyl beta-glycosides of dp 3-8

Ethyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-1-thio-alpha-D-glucopyranoside has been prepared in a good yield by anomerization of the corresponding beta-thioglucoside with tin(IV) chloride and transformed, in three steps, into ethyl 2-O-benzoyl-4,6-O-benzylidene-1-thio-alpha-D-glucopyranoside (18). Chloroacetylation of 18, followed by treatment of the product with chlorine gave crystalline 2-O-benzoyl-4,6-O-benzylidene-3-O-chloroacetyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl chloride (20). This was coupled with methanol in the presence of silver carbonate-silver perchlorate and the product was O-dechloroacetylated to afford methyl 2-O-benzoyl-4,6-O-benzylidene-beta-D-glucopyranoside (22). Silver triflate-promoted glucosylation of 18 with 20 gave a beta-(1-->3)-linked disaccharide derivative, reaction of which with chlorine yielded crystalline O-(2-O-benzoyl-4,6-O-benzylidene-3-O-chloroacetyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl) - (1-->3)-2-O-benzoyl-4,6-O-benzylidene-beta-D-glucopyranosyl chloride (24). Likewise, condensation of 22 with 20 gave a beta-(1-->3)-linked disaccharide glycoside, which was partially deprotected to give methyl O-(2-O-benzoyl-4,6-O-benzylidene-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-(1-->3)-2-O-benz oyl- 4,6-O-benzylidene-beta-D-glucopyranoside (26). The methyl beta-glycosides of a homologous series of (1-->3)-linked beta-D-gluco-oligosaccharides from the tri- to the octa-saccharide have been synthesized in a blockwise manner by using 22 and 26 as the glycosyl acceptors, 24 as the disaccharide donor, and silver triflate as the promoter.