Polyhydroxylated pyrrolidines. Part II: Highly stereoselective synthesis of partially protected DMDP derivatives from d-fructose

Stereoselective synthesis of (2S,3S,4R,5S)-3,4-dihydroxy-2,5-dihydroxymethyl pyrrolidine from L-sorbose

One of the most frequently synthesized iminosugar derivatives is DMDP. Starting from L-sorbose, a practical method for the synthesis of derivatives of this five-membered iminocyclitol has been developed, involving straightforward steps and a convenient selective reduction of a ketoxime intermediate.

Intramolecular Benzyl Protection Delivery: A Practical Synthesis of DMDP and DGDP from d-Fructose

[reaction: see text] A two-step protection of 1,2-diols as the corresponding o-xylylene cyclic ethers, involving an intramolecular ring-closing O-benzylation reaction, has been developed to overcome the problems associated to regioselective benzylation reactions. The strategy has been applied to the high-yielding synthesis of the pyrrolidine glycosidase inhibitors DMDP and DGDP.

Looking glass inhibitors:l-DMDP, a more potent and specific inhibitor of α-glucosidases than the enantiomeric natural product DMDP

L-DMDP, prepared from D-gulonolactone, is a highly specific inhibitor of a number of plant and mammalian alpha-glucosidases [between 2 and 4 orders of magnitude more potent than the enantiomeric natural product DMDP] but is not an inhibitor of bacterial and yeast alpha-glucosidases. Additionally N-butyl-DMDP is a potent inhibitor of ceramide-specific glucosyltransferase but N-butyl-L-DMDP shows no inhibition.