Efficient and direct synthesis of saccharidic 1,2-ethylidenes, orthoesters, and glycals from peracetylated sugars via the in situ generation of glycosyl iodides with I2/Et3SiH

An environmentally benign protocol for the synthesis of sugar 1,2-orthoesters in poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether (DMPE)

An environmentally benign procedure has been developed for the synthesis of sugar orthoesters using anhydrous sodium acetate in poly (ethylene glycol)dimethyl ether (DMPE). Various sugar orthoesers were prepared without using volatile organic solvent and quaternary ammonium salt. The sugar orthoesters were obtained in good to excellent yields.

Iodine-triphenylphosphine triggers an easy one-pot alpha stereoselective dehydrative glycosylation on hemiacetalic benzylated glycosyl donors

The discovery of new glycosylation reactions is still a major challenge in carbohydrate chemistry. Traditional glycosylation reactions require the preparation of sugar donors with anomeric active or latent leaving groups. Dehydrative glycosylation is a fascinating alternative that enables the direct formation of the glycosidic bond from the hemiacetal, eliminating the need for (sometimes unstable) leaving groups, and allowing to reduce reaction, work-up, and purification times. Although some interesting methods of dehydrative glycosylation have been reported, in order to compete with conventional chemical glycosylation, a greater number of efficient and stereoselective methods need to be developed. Herein, a dehydrative procedure that uses a combination of iodine, triphenylphosphine, and a base (DMAP or imidazole) is described. This methodology allows for the preparation of sugar derivatives from commercially available 1-hydroxy glycosyl donors. The reaction takes place under mild conditions through the in situ-formation of an anomeric iodide intermediate, which, upon reaction with an alcohol, gives the corresponding glycosides up to quantitative yields and with high α-stereoselectivity.

Adaptation of Zemplén's conditions for a simple and highly selective approach to methyl 1,2-trans glycosides

1,2-trans methyl glycosides can be readily obtained from peracetylated sugars through their initial conversion into glycosyl iodide donors and subsequent exposure of these latter to a slight excess of sodium methoxide in methanol. Under these conditions a varied set of mono- and disaccharide precursors afforded the corresponding 1,2-trans glycosides with concomitant de-O-acetylation in satisfying yields (in the range 59-81%). A similar approach also proved effective when using GlcNAc glycosyl chloride as the donor.

Design, Synthesis, and Anticancer Activity of a Selenium-Containing Galectin-3 and Galectin-9N Inhibitor

Galectins are soluble β-D-galactoside-binding proteins whose implication in cancer progression and disease outcome makes them prominent targets for therapeutic intervention. In this frame, the development of small inhibitors that block selectively the activity of galectins represents an important strategy for cancer therapy which is, however, still relatively underdeveloped. To this end, we designed here a rationally and efficiently novel diglycosylated compound, characterized by a selenoglycoside bond and the presence of a lipophilic benzyl group at both saccharide residues. The relatively high binding affinity of the new compound to the carbohydrate recognition domain of two galectins, galectin 3 and galectin 9, its good antiproliferative and anti-migration activity towards melanoma cells, as well as its anti-angiogenesis properties, pave the way for its further development as an anticancer agent.

Switchable synthesis of glycosyl selenides or diselenides with direct use of selenium as the selenating agent

Chemoselective synthesis of either diglycosyl selenides or diselenides. Elementary selenium as the selenating agent.

Chemical synthesis and antigenic activity of a phosphatidylinositol mannoside epitope from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Phosphatidylinositol mannosides (PIMs) have been investigated as lipidic antigens for a new subunit tuberculosis vaccine. A non-natural diacylated phosphatidylinositol mannoside (Ac2PIM2) was designed and synthesized by mimicking the natural PIM6 processing procedure in dentritic cells. This synthetic Ac2PIM2 was achieved from α-methyl d-glucopyranoside 1 in 17 steps in 2.5% overall yield. A key feature of the strategy was extending the use of the chiral myo-inositol building block A to the O-2 and O-6 positions of the inositol unit to allow for introducing the mannose building blocks B1 and B2, and to the O-1 position for the phosphoglycerol building block C. Building block A, being a flexible core unit, may facilitate future access to other higher-order PIM analogues. A preliminary antigenic study showed that the synthetic PIM epitope (Ac2PIM2) was significantly more active than natural Ac2PIM2, which indicated that the synthetic Ac2PIM2 can be strongly immunoactive and may be developed as a potential vaccine.

Gold-Speckled SPION@SiO2 Nanoparticles Decorated with Thiocarbohydrates for ASGPR1 Targeting: Towards HCC Dual Mode Imaging Potential Applications

Efforts are made to perform an early and accurate detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by simultaneous exploiting multiple clinically non-invasive imaging modalities. Original nanostructures derived from the combination of different inorganic domains can be used as efficient contrast agents in multimodal imaging. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) and Au nanoparticles (NPs) possess well-established contrasting features in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and X-ray computed tomography (CT), respectively. HCC can be targeted by using specific carbohydrates able to recognize asialoglycoprotein receptor 1 (ASGPR1) overexpressed in hepatocytes. Here, two different thiocarbohydrate ligands were purposely designed and alternatively conjugated to the surface of Au-speckled silica-coated SPIONs NPs, to achieve two original nanostructures that could be potentially used for dual mode targeted imaging of HCC. The results indicated that the two thiocarbohydrate decorated nanostructures possess convenient plasmonic/superparamagnetic properties, well-controlled size and morphology and good selectivity for targeting ASGPR1 receptor.

Synthesis of diglycosylated (di)sulfides and comparative evaluation of their antiproliferative effect against tumor cell lines: A focus on the nature of sugar-recognizing mediators involved

A mini-library of symmetrical and unsymmetrical diglycosyl (di)sulfides, containing d-galactose, l-fucose and N-acetyl glucosamine units, were synthesized and tested for the antiproliferative activity against cervix carcinoma (HeLa) and melanoma (A375) tumor cell lines as well as healthy fibroblasts (HDF). Comparative analysis of results seems to indicate that the most relevant antiproliferative effect is not primarily influenced by interactions with galectins, as the most cytotoxic compound observed for HeLa and A375 is not a ligand for such receptors. The most active molecules against HeLa and A375 lines also exhibited a good selectivity, showing a low toxicity to HDF cells. Obtained results offer useful indications for future design of structurally simple antitumor molecules based on sugar moieties with bridging sulfur atoms.

On-Bead Peptoid Dimerization Induced by Incorporation of Glycosylated Bridging Units in Submonomer Solid-Phase Approach to Glycopeptoids

A study on submonomer solid-phase synthesis of S-glycopeptoids has been carried out by screening different parameters. Dimeric species, featuring glycosylated bridging amino monomers, were found under suitable conditions. These dimers arise from an on-resin cross-linking reaction occurring with the incorporation of a glycoamino submonomer into the growing chain and subsequent nucleophilic attack of the resulting secondary amine to a still unreacted bromoacetylated unit. The arising byproduct can be regarded as a novel dimeric peptoid type.

C-Glycosylation in platinum-based agents: a viable strategy to improve cytotoxicity and selectivity

The glycosylation of five-coordinate Pt(ii) compounds through a Pt–C linkage can be a very effective strategy for attacking cancer cells, while preserving the survival of the healthy ones.

On surface O-glycosylation by catalytic microcontact printing

Carbohydrate microarrays are made by microcontact printing of glycosyl donors on hydroxyl terminated substrates.

Chemical O-Glycosylations: An Overview

The development of glycobiology relies on the sources of particular oligosaccharides in their purest forms. As the isolation of the oligosaccharide structures from natural sources is not a reliable option for providing samples with homogeneity, chemical means become pertinent. The growing demand for diverse oligosaccharide structures has prompted the advancement of chemical strategies to stitch sugar molecules with precise stereo- and regioselectivity through the formation of glycosidic bonds. This Review will focus on the key developments towards chemical O-glycosylations in the current century. Synthesis of novel glycosyl donors and acceptors and their unique activation for successful glycosylation are discussed. This Review concludes with a summary of recent developments and comments on future prospects.

Targeted Delivery of Fluorescent High-Mannose-Type Oligosaccharide Cathepsin Inhibitor Conjugates

Three fluorescent cathepsin inhibitor glycoconjugates have been designed, synthesized, and evaluated in terms of their cell internalization and cathepsin inhibitory properties. The conjugates are composed of a peptide epoxysuccinate, capable of covalent and irreversible binding to cysteine proteases, coupled to a fluorescent BODIPY dye and functionalized with a mono-, tri-, or heptamannoside. Mannose-receptor-dependent uptake of the probes in live dendritic cells is shown to depend on the type of carbohydrate attached. Where uptake of the monomannoside is poor and mannose-receptor-independent, the intracellular labeling of cathepsins by the probes equipped with a tri- or heptamannoside conjugate appeared concentration- and mannose-receptor-dependent.

The total synthesis of a ganglioside Hp-s1 analogue possessing neuritogenic activity by chemoselective activation glycosylation

The total synthesis of ganglioside 2, an analogue of the ganglioside Hp-s1 (1) which displays neuritogenic activity toward the rat pheochromocytoma cell line PC-12 cell in the presence of nerve growth factor (NGF) with an effect (34.0%) greater than that of the mammalian ganglioside GM 1 (25.4%), was accomplished by applying a chemoselective-activation glycosylation strategy. Moreover, we also demonstrate that the synthesized ganglioside 2 exhibited neuritogenic activity toward the human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y without the presence of NGF.

An economical synthesis of D- and L-pyrimidine arabino- and ribonucleosides

The one-step synthesis of several β-D/L-arabino- and ribonucleosides was performed in good yields under reflux or microwave-assisted fusion method. A comparison of the two methods showed that better yields were obtained using the reflux conditions.

A facile method for the preparation of sugar orthoesters promoted by anhydrous sodium bicarbonate

A facile and eco-friendly method for the preparation of sugar orthoesters by using anhydrous sodium bicarbonate is described. Various sugar orthoesers, including sugar–sugar orthoesters, were synthesized in good-to-excellent yields by the reaction of a protected glycosyl bromide with an alcohol or sugar.

An efficient modular approach for the assembly of s-linked glycopeptoids

A short and convenient methodology for the synthesis of S-glycosylated peptoid models is described. The thioglycosylated building blocks were prepared from proper peracetylated sugars via glycosyl iodides in a one-pot fashion and directly employed in a submonomer solid-phase stategy.

Sequential one-pot glycosidations catalytically promoted: unprecedented strategy in oligosaccharide synthesis for the straightforward assemblage of the antitumor PI-88 pentasaccharide

The pentasaccharide sequence of the most active components of the antitumor drug PI-88, currently in phase II clinical trial, has been rapidly assembled in high overall yield and in only three steps starting from three monosaccharide building blocks. The procedure takes advantage of the first reported strategy of sequential one-pot glycosidations conducted exclusively under catalytic activation. In addition, the procedure relies only on shelf-stable and mild promoters such as Yb(OTf)(3) and Bi(OTf)(3).