An efficient method for the synthesis of α- and β-c-glycosyl aldehydes

C-Glycopyranosyl aldehydes: emerging chiral synthons in organic synthesis

Herein, we have summarized the vast array of synthetic processes that have been developed for the synthesis of C-glycopyranosyl aldehydes and diverse C-glycoconjugates derived from them by covering the literature reported from 1979 to 2023. Notwithstanding its challenging chemistry, C-glycosides are considered stable pharmacophores and are used as important bioactive molecules. The discussed synthetic methodologies to access C-glycopyranosyl aldehydes take advantage of seven key intermediates, viz. allene, thiazole, dithiane, cyanide, alkene, and nitromethane. Furthermore, the integration of complex C-glycoconjugates derived from varied C-glycopyranosyl aldehydes involves nucleophilic addition/substitution, reduction, condensation, oxidation, cyclo condensation, coupling, and Wittig reactions. In this review, we have categorized the synthesis of C-glycopyranosyl aldehydes and C-glycoconjugates on the basis of the methodology used for their synthesis and on types of C-glycoconjugates, respectively.

Efficient Copper-Catalyzed Highly Stereoselective Synthesis of Unprotected C-Acyl Manno-, Rhamno- and Lyxopyranosides

Due to their high stability towards enzymatic hydrolysis C-acyl glycosidic compounds are useful synthetic intermediates for potential candidates in drug discovery. Syntheses for C-acyl mannosides have remained scarce and usually employ donors obtained from lengthy syntheses. Furthermore, syntheses of unprotected C-acyl mannosides have not been reported so far, due to the incapability of the C-acyl mannoside motif with deprotection conditions for protective groups commonly used in carbohydrate chemistry. Herein, we report an efficient and highly α-selective four-step one-pot method for the synthesis of C-acyl α-d-manno-, l-rhamno- and d-lyxopyranosides from easily accessible persilylated monosaccharides and dithianes requiring only trace amounts of a copper source as catalyst and explain the crucial role of the catalyst by mechanistic studies. Furthermore, the C-acyl α-glycosides were easily isomerized to give rapid access to their β-anomers.

1,5-Hydrogen Atom Transfer/Surzur-Tanner Rearrangement: A Radical Cascade Approach for the Synthesis of 1,6-Dioxaspiro[4.5]decane and 6,8-Dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octane Scaffolds in Carbohydrate Systems

The 1,5-HAT–1,2-(ester)alkyl radical migration (Surzur–Tanner rearrangement) radical/polar sequence triggered by alkoxyl radicals has been studied on a series of C-glycosyl substrates with 3-C-(α,β-d,l-glycopyranosyl)1-propanol and C-(α-d,l-glycopyranosyl)methanol structures prepared from chiral pool d- and l-sugar. The use of acetoxy and diphenoxyphosphatoxy as leaving groups provides an efficient construction of 10-deoxy-1,6-dioxaspiro[4.5]decane and 4-deoxy-6,8-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octane frameworks. The alkoxyl radicals were generated by the reaction of the corresponding N-alkoxyphthalimides with group 14 hydrides [n-Bu₃SnH(D) and (TMS)₃SiH], and in comparative terms, the reaction was also initiated by visible light photocatalysis using the Hantzsch ester/fac-Ir(ppy)₃ procedure. Special attention was devoted to the influence of the relative stereochemistry of the centers involved in the radical sequence on the reaction outcome. The addition of BF₃•Et₂O as a catalyst to the radical sequence resulted in a significant increase in the yields of the desired bicyclic ketals.

Glycopeptide drugs: A pharmacological dimension between "Small Molecules" and "Biologics"

Peptides are an important class of molecules with diverse biological activities. Many endogenous peptides, especially neuropeptides and peptide hormones, play critical roles in development and regulating homeostasis. Furthermore, as drug candidates their high receptor selectivity and potent binding leads to reduced off-target interactions and potential negative side effects. However, the therapeutic potential of peptides is severely hampered by their poor stability in vivo and low permeability across biological membranes. Several strategies have been successfully employed over the decades to address these concerns, and one of the most promising strategies is glycosylation. It has been demonstrated in numerous cases that glycosylation is an effective synthetic approach to improve the pharmacokinetic profiles and membrane permeability of peptides. The effects of glycosylation on peptide stability and peptide-membrane interactions in the context of blood-brain barrier penetration will be explored. Numerous examples of glycosylated analogues of endogenous peptides targeting class A and B G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) with an emphasis on O-linked glycopeptides will be reviewed. Notable examples of N-, S-, and C-linked glycopeptides will also be discussed. A small section is devoted to synthetic methods for the preparation of glycopeptides and requisite amino acid glycoside building blocks.

The Synthesis and Biological Characterization of Acetal-Free Mimics of the Tumor-Associated Carbohydrate Antigens

Carcinomas express unique carbohydrates, known as tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs), on their surface. These are potential targets for anticancer vaccines; however, to date, no such vaccine has reached the clinic. One factor that may complicate the success of this effort is the lability of the glycosidic bond. Acetal-free carbohydrates are analogues that lack the glycosidic linkage by replacing either the endo or exo oxygen with a methylene. This chapter summarizes the seminal syntheses of the mucin TACAs, provides an overview of common techniques for the synthesis of carbasugars and C-glycosides, reviews the syntheses published to date of acetal-free TACA analogues, and provides an overview of their observed biological activity. We conclude by offering a summation of the challenges remaining to the field biologically and the potential that acetal-free TACAs have of answering several basic questions in carbohydrate immunology.

Reaction of Glyconitriles with Organometallic Reagents: Access to Acyl β-C-Glycosides

A new strategy for the synthesis of acyl β-C-glycosides is described. The reactivity of glyconitriles toward organometallic reagents such as organomagnesium or organolithium derivatives was studied, affording acyl β-C-glycosides in moderate to good yields. In this study, glycal formation was efficiently prevented by deprotonating the hydroxyl group in position 2 of the glyconitriles during the process.

Preparation of 1-C-glycosyl aldehydes by reductive hydrolysis

Reductive hydrolysis of various protected glycosyl cyanides was carried out using DIBAL-H to form aldimine alane intermediates which were then hydrolyzed under mildly acidic condition to provide the corresponding aldehyde derivatives. While 1-C-formyl glycal and 2-deoxy glycosyl derivatives were stable during isolation and storage 1-C-glycosyl formaldehydes in the gluco, galacto and manno series were sensitive and decomposition occurred by 2-alkyloxy elimination. A one-pot method using N,N'-diphenylethylenediamine to trap these aldehydes in stable form was developed. Reductive hydrolysis of glycosyl cyanides offers valuable aldehyde building blocks in a convenient way which can be applied in the synthesis of complex C-glycosides.

New and general synthesis of β-C-glycosylformaldehydes from easily available β-C-glycosylpropanones

A highly effective method for the introduction of a formyl group at the anomeric position of pyranosides was developed via enolisation of beta-C-D-glycopyranosylpropan-2-one using thermodynamic conditions then oxidative cleavage of the more substituted double bond. This sequence affords the desired aldehydes that are conveniently protected as aminals for purification and storage and easily regenerated using Dowex resin H+. In this paper, the syntheses of nine differently protected aldehydes derived from d-glucose, d-galactose, lactose and N-acetyl-d-glucosamine are presented. Our strategy proved to be very efficient in most cases excepted in the D-mannose series.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of phosphono analogues of capsular polysaccharide fragments from Neisseria meningitidis A

Neisseria meningitidis type A (MenA) is a Gram-negative encapsulated bacterium that may cause explosive epidemics of meningitis, especially in the sub-Saharan region of Africa. The development and manufacture of an efficient glycoconjugate vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis A is greatly hampered by the poor hydrolytic stability of its capsular polysaccharide, which is made up of (1-->6)-linked 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl phosphate repeating units. Since this chemical lability is a product of the inherent instability of the phosphodiester bridges, here we report the synthesis of phosphonoester-linked oligomers of N-acetyl mannosamine as candidates for stabilised analogues of the corresponding phosphate-bridged saccharides. The installation of each interglycosidic phosphonoester linkage was achieved by Mitsunobu coupling of a glycosyl C-phosphonate building block with the 6-OH moiety of a mannosaminyl residue. Each of the synthesised compounds contains an O-linked aminopropyl spacer at its reducing end (alpha- or beta-oriented) to allow for protein conjugation. The relative affinities of the synthetic molecules were investigated by a competitive ELISA assay and showed that a human polyclonal anti-MenA serum can recognise both the phosphonoester-bridged fragments 1-3 and their monomeric subunits, glycosides 20 and 21. Moreover, the biological results suggest that the abilities of these compounds to inhibit the binding of a specific antibody to MenA polysaccharide are dependent on the chain lengths of the molecules, but independent on the orientations of the anomeric linkers.

Synthesis of alkylated sugar amino acids: conformationally restricted l-Xaa-l-Ser/Thr mimics

Two synthetic strategies for the generation of delta-substituted pyranoid sugar amino acids (SAAs) are evaluated. The first employs chiral nonracemic tert-butane sulfinamides as key reagents. Regardless of the stereochemistry of the applied sulfinamide, the product formed has a stereochemistry resembling that of a d amino acid at C7. Direct Grignard reaction on formyl-tetra-O-benzyl-beta-D-C-glucopyranoside in the second strategy and subsequent Mitsunobu inversion, yields the l,l-dipeptide isosters.

A two-directional synthesis of the C58-C71 fragment of palytoxin

A two directional approach, in which asymmetric dihydroxylation and reduction reactions were used to control absolute configuration, was exploited in the preparation of a C(2)-symmetrical dipyranone. The homotopic dihydropyran (DHP) rings of this precursor were differentiated statistically using by a Prevost reaction and further functionalisation. A second Prevost reaction was used to functionalise the other DHP; global deprotection and peracetylation gave a protected version of the C(58)-C(71) fragment of palytoxin. Methods which might be of value in future synthetic work were developed for the stereoselective functionalisation of THP rings similar to those found in this fragment.

Synthesis of novel donor mimetics of UDP-Gal, UDP-GlcNAc, and UDP-GalNAc as potential transferase inhibitors

For the enzymatic transfer of galactose, N-acetylglucosamine, and N-acetylgalactosamine, UDP-Gal (1), UDP-GlcNAc (2), and UDP-GalNAc (3) are employed, and UDP serves as a feedback inhibitor. In this paper the synthesis of the novel UDP-sugar analogues 4, 5, and 6 as potential transferase inhibitors is described. Compounds 4-6 feature C-glycosidic hydroxymethylene linkages between the sugar and nucleoside moieties in contrast to the anomeric oxygens in the natural derivatives 1-3.