Synthesis of thiolactose (4-S-β-d-galactopyranosyl-4-thio-d-glucopyranose)

S-Glycosides: synthesis of S-linked arabinoxylan oligosaccharides

S-Glycosides are important tools for the elucidation of specific protein-carbohydrate interactions and can significantly aid structural and functional studies of carbohydrate-active enzymes, as they are often inert or act as enzyme inhibitors. In this context, this work focuses on the introduction of an S-linkage into arabinoxylan oligosaccharides (AXs) in order to obtain a small collection of synthetic tools for the study of AXs degrading enzymes. The key step for the introduction of the S-glycosidic linkage involved anomeric thiol S-alkylation of an orthogonally protected l-arabinopyranoside triflate. The resulting S-linked disaccharide was subsequently employed in a series of glycosylation reactions to obtain a selectively protected tetrasaccharide. This could be further elaborated through chemoselective deprotection and glycosylation reactions to introduce branching l-arabinofuranosides.

Synthesis of (1→3) Thiodisaccharides of GlcNAc and the Serendipitous Formation of 2,3-Dideoxy-(1→2)-thiodisaccharides through a Vinyl Azide Intermediate

The syntheses of β-S-GlcA(1→3)GlcNAc and β-S-Gal(1→3)GlcNAc thiodisaccharides, which can be considered mimetics of the repeating units of hyaluronan and keratan respectively, were achieved by S_N2 displacement of a triflate group allocated at the 3-position of a convenient 2-azido-4,6-O-benzylidene-2-deoxy-β-d-allopyranose precursor by the corresponding nucleophilic suitable protected thioaldoses derived from glucuronic acid (GlcA) and galactose (Gal). The study of the reaction led to the finding that the vinyl azide formed by competitive E2 reaction of the mentioned triflate was an interesting precursor of a new kind of 2,3-dideoxy-2-azido-(1→2) thiodisaccharides through an addition reaction. Determination of the stereochemistry of the new stereocenter at C-2 was achieved by NOESY experiments. Final protecting group manipulation of the (1→3) thiodisaccharides led to a family of derivatives that could be used as building blocks for the synthesis of complex glycomimetics.

Synthesis and conformational analysis of disaccharide analogues containing disulfide and selenosulfide functionalities in the interglycosidic linkages

The synthesis of novel disaccharides containing disulfide (methyl-4-S-(β-D-galactopyranosyl-1'-thio)-4-thio-α-D-glucopyranoside (1)) and selenosulfide (methyl-4-Se-(β-D-galactopyranosyl-1'-thio)-4-seleno-α-D-glucopyranoside (2)) functionalities in the interglycosidic linkages is described. The synthetic strategy relied on the reaction of a β-glycosylthiosulfonate with a carbohydrate thiol or selenol nucleophile. The resulting protected β-dihetero-linked disaccharides were deprotected to give the target compounds. The conformational preferences of these dihetero analogues were inferred from NOESY experiments and line-broadening effects in variable-temperature NMR spectra, and are rationalized in terms of molecular orbital theory. Low-energy conformations of these compounds can populate regions of conformational space not usually occupied by β-linked disaccharides, and offer the possibility for presentation of novel ligand topographies.Key words: disaccharides, disulfides, selenosulfides, interglycosidic linkages, conformations, MO explanation.

Glycosylation via locked anomeric configuration: stereospecific synthesis of oligosaccharides containing the beta-D-mannopyranosyl and beta-L-rhamnopyranosyl linkage

cis-1,2-Stannylene acetals of D-mannose and L-rhamnose, formed preferentially from the free sugars treated with dibutyltin oxide, are capable of displacing the trifluoromethanesulfonyl (triflyl) leaving groups in carbohydrates to give, with retention of configuration at the anomeric center in the nucleophile, cis-1,2-linked oligosaccharides. In the case of secondary triflates, the new glycosidic linkage is formed with complete inversion of configuration in the electrophile. Both the reactivity of the electrophile and nucleophilicity of oxygens in the stannylene complex affect the overall outcome of the reaction. From the comparison of results of a number of glycosylations via stannylene acetals, it appears that nucleophilicity of oxygens involved in the cis-1,2-acetals decreases in the order: equatorial anomeric > equatorial non-anomeric > axial anomeric. Consequently, treatment of the stannylene acetal prepared from D-mannose (mainly the cis-1,2-stannylene compound in admixture with a small proportion of the cis-2,3-stannylene acetal) with methyl 2,3,4-tri-O-benzoyl-6-O-trifluoromethanesulfonyl-alpha-D-glucopyra noside yielded, in addition to the expected beta-D-mannopyranoside (major), a product of non-anomeric alkylation at O-3. On the other hand, glycosylation of the stannylene acetal derived from maltose with methyl 2,3,6-tri-O-benzoyl-4-trifluoromethanesulfonyl-alpha-D-galactopyra noside gave almost exclusively a non-glycosidically, (2-->4)-linked pseudo-trisaccharide. Combination of the glycosylation via locked anomeric configuration with conventional glycosylations, to yield higher oligosaccharides, is also demonstrated.

Synthesis of fluorescent and radioactive analogues of two lactosylceramides and glucosylceramide containing beta-thioglycosidic bonds that are resistant to enzymatic degradation

Condensation of 2-S-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-galactopyranosyl)-2- thiopseudourea hydrobromide with 2,3,6-tri-O-benzoyl-4-O-trifluoromethylsulfonyl-beta-D-galactopyra nosyl- (1-->1)-(2S,3R,4E)-3-O-benzoyl-2-dichloroacetamido-4-octa decen-1,3-diol afforded S-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-galactopyranosyl)-(1-->4)-2,3,6-tri-O- benzoyl-4-thio-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->1)-(2S,3R,4E)-3-O-benzoy l-2- dichloroacetamido-4-octadecen-1,3-diol in good yield. Removal of the protecting groups, followed by selective N-acylation of the sphingosine amino group with either a fluorescent or a radioactive fatty acid, gave labeled lactosylceramide analogues in good yield. Since these products contained a beta-thioglycosidic bond between the two sugar moieties, they were totally resistant to the action of acid lysosomal glycosidases. Likewise, condensation of 2-S-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-2- thiopseudourea hydrobromide and 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1-->4)-2,3,6- tri-O-acetyl-1-S-acetyl-1-thio-beta-D-glucopyranose with (2R,3R,4E)-3-O-benzoyl-2-dichloroacetamido-1-iodo-4-octad ecen-3-ol in methanolic sodium acetate afforded the corresponding beta-thioglycosides 14 and 16, respectively, in good yield. These beta-thioglycosides were converted into glucosylceramide and lactosylceramide analogues following removal of the protecting groups and by subsequent selective N-acylation using either a fluorescent or adioactive fatty acid N-succinimidyl ester. Whereas the glucosylthioceramides thus obtained proved to be completely undegradable by lysosomal glucocerebrosidase, the lactosylceramides containing the beta-thioglycosidic bond between the lactose and the ceramide residues could be degraded by lysosomal GM1-beta-galactosidase to give the corresponding glucosylthioceramides. These compound did not yield to any further enzymatic degradation.

Synthesis of a thio analogue of n-propyl kojibioside, a potential glucosidase inhibitor

The disaccharide alpha-D-Glc p-(1-S-2)-beta-D-Glc p-(1-OPr) 1, a thio analogue of alpha-D-Glc p-(1 --> 2)-alpha-D-Glc p-(1-OPr)(n-propyl kojibioside) in which the inter-glycosidic oxygen atom is replaced by sulfur, has been synthesized for evaluation as a potential glucosidase inhibitor. Glycosylation of the 2-thiol glucopyranosyl acceptor 4 with the trichloroacetimidate of 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzyl-alpha-D-glucopyranose 5 gave the alpha-linked disaccharide 6 stereoselectively. Deprotection was performed by hydrogenolysis in the presence of Pd/C to give 1 as the beta-n-propyl glycoside. Glycosylation of the thiol 4 with the trichloroacetimidate of 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-alpha-D-glucopyranose 8 gave a 1:2.3 mixture if the alpha and beta disaccharides (9 and 10); evidence is presented for the occurrence of the orthoester 11, as an intermediate in the formation of the beta-disaccharide.