Scalable Synthesis of Anomerically Pure Orthogonal-Protected GlcN3 and GalN3 from d-Glucosamine

Advances in glycoside and oligosaccharide synthesis

The structural complexity of glycans poses a serious challenge in the chemical synthesis of glycosides, oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates. Glycan complexity, determined by composition, connectivity, and configuration far exceeds what nature achieves with nucleic acids and proteins. Consequently, glycoside synthesis ranks among the most complex tasks in organic synthesis, despite involving only a simple type of bond-forming reaction. Here, we introduce the fundamental principles of glycoside bond formation and summarize recent advances in glycoside bond formation and oligosaccharide synthesis.

Formation of β-Configured Thioglycosides of d-Glucosamine and d-Galactosamine and Synthesis of Protected Human Milk Oligosaccharides

We report on the stereoselective multigram scale preparation of cyclohexyl- and phenyl thioglycosides of 2-azido-2-deoxy-β-d-gluco- and galactopyranosides from d-N-acetylglucosamine using a catalytic and solvent-free method. Two of the prepared building blocks were used as key intermediates for the synthesis of human milk oligosaccharides LNT and LNnT in their protected form.

Sulfamate-Tethered Aza-Wacker Cyclization Strategy for the Syntheses of 2-Amino-2-deoxyhexoses: Preparation of Orthogonally Protected d-Galactosamines

We present a new strategy for the assembly of protected d-galactosamine synthons. Our route uses a sulfamate-tethered aza-Wacker cyclization as a key step and commences from d-erythrono-1,4-lactone. This stands in contrast to most literature syntheses of 2-amino-2-deoxyhexose derivatives, as these generally employ glycals or hexoses as starting materials. This strategy may serve as a template for the assembly of many other 2-amino-2-deoxyhexoses with protection patterns difficult to access by conventional methods.

Concise Synthesis of Tunicamycin V and Discovery of a Cytostatic DPAGT1 Inhibitor

A short total synthesis of tunicamycin V (1), a non-selective phosphotransferase inhibitor, is achieved via a Büchner-Curtius-Schlotterbeck type reaction. Tunicamycin V can be synthesized in 15 chemical steps from D-galactal with 21 % overall yield. The established synthetic scheme is operationally very simple and flexible to introduce building blocks of interest. The inhibitory activity of one of the designed analogues 28 against human dolichyl-phosphate N-acetylglucosaminephosphotransferase 1 (DPAGT1) is 12.5 times greater than 1. While tunicamycins are cytotoxic molecules with a low selectivity, the novel analogue 28 displays selective cytostatic activity against breast cancer cell lines including a triple-negative breast cancer.

Synthesis of (+)-ribostamycin by catalytic, enantioselective hydroamination of benzene

Aminoglycosides (AGs) represent a large group of pseudoglycoside natural products, in which several different sugar moieties are harnessed to an aminocyclitol core. AGs constitute a major class of antibiotics that target the prokaryotic ribosome of many problematic pathogens. Hundreds of AGs have been isolated to date, with 1,3-diaminocyclohexanetriol, known as 2-deoxystreptamine (2-DOS), being the most abundant aglycon core. However, owning to their diverse and complex architecture, all AG-based drugs are either natural substances or analogues prepared by late-stage modifications. Synthetic approaches to AGs are rare and lengthy; most studies involve semi-synthetic reunion of modified fragments. Here we report a bottom-up chemical synthesis of the 2-DOS-based AG antibiotic ribostamycin, which proceeds in ten linear operations from benzene. A key enabling transformation involves a Cu-catalyzed, enantioselective, dearomative hydroamination, which set the stage for the rapid and selective introduction of the remaining 2-DOS heteroatom functionality. This work demonstrates how the combination of a tailored, dearomative logic and strategic use of subsequent olefin functionalizations can provide practical and concise access to the AG class of compounds.

Synthesis of the pentasaccharide repeating unit of the O-antigen from Enterobacter cloacae C4115 containing the rare α-d-FucNAc

Total synthesis of the pentasaccharide repeating unit associated with the O-antigen of Enterobacter cloacae C4115 is reported. The synthesis of the said oligosaccharide was accomplished through rational protecting group manipulations on commercially available monosaccharides followed by stereoselective glycosylations either by activation of thioglycosides or glycosyl trichloroacetimidates and was found to be productive. Towards the synthesis of the rare sugar unit, α-d-FucNAc in this case, it was established that the methoxymethyl (MOM) group is advantageous over the earlier reported tetrahydro pyran (THP) protection. The effect of MOM-protection was successfully tested for the synthesis of a rare sugar synthon which can serve as a precursor to the rare d-fucosamine residue.

Pentasaccharide repeating unit of the O-antigen of Enterobacter cloacae C4115 is accomplished through rational protecting group manipulations. For the synthesis of α-d-FucNAc, it was established that the methoxymethyl (MOM) group is advantageous over the earlier reported tetrahydro pyran (THP) protection.

Synthesis of Heparan Sulfate- and Dermatan Sulfate-Related Oligosaccharides via Iterative Chemoselective Glycosylation Exploiting Conformationally Disarmed [2.2.2] l-Iduronic Lactone Thioglycosides

Heparan sulfate (HS) and dermatan sulfate (DS) are l-iduronic acid containing glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) which are implicated in a number of biological processes and conditions including cancer and viral infection. Chemical synthesis of HS and DS is required to generate structurally defined oligosaccharides for a biological study. Herein, we present a new synthetic approach to HS and DS oligosaccharides using chemoselective glycosylation which relies on a disarmed [2.2.2] l-ido lactone motif. The strategy provides a general approach for iterative-reducing end chain extension, using only shelf-stable thioglycoside building blocks, exploiting a conformational switch to control reactivity, and thus requires no anomeric manipulation steps between glycosylations.

Are Brønsted Acids the True Promoter of Metal-Triflate-Catalyzed Glycosylations? A Mechanistic Probe into 1,2-cis-Aminoglycoside Formation by Nickel Triflate

Metal triflates have been utilized to catalytically facilitate numerous glycosylation reactions under mild conditions. In some methods, the metal triflate system provides stereocontrol during the glycosylation, rather than the nature of protecting groups on the substrate. Despite these advances, the true activating nature of metal triflates remains unclear. Our findings indicated that the in situ generation of trace amounts of triflic acid from metal triflates can be the active catalyst species in the glycosylation. This fact has been mentioned previously in metal triflate-catalyzed glycosylation reactions; however, a thorough study on the subject and its implications on stereoselectivity has yet to be performed. Experimental evidence from control reactions and 19F NMR spectroscopy have been obtained to confirm and quantify the triflic acid released from nickel triflate, for which it is of paramount importance in achieving a stereoselective 1,2-cis-2-amino glycosidic bond formation via a transient anomeric triflate. A putative intermediate resembling that of a glycosyl triflate has been detected using variable temperature NMR (1H and 13C) experiments. These observations, together with density functional theory calculations and a kinetic study, corroborate a mechanism involving triflic acid-catalyzed stereoselective glycosylation with N-substituted trifluoromethylbenzylideneamino protected electrophiles. Specifically, triflic acid facilitates formation of a glycosyl triflate intermediate which then undergoes isomerization from the stable α-anomer to the more reactive β-anomer. Subsequent SN2-like displacement of the reactive anomer by a nucleophile is highly favorable for the production of 1,2-cis-2-aminoglycosides. Although there is a previously reported work regarding glycosyl triflates, none of these reports have been confirmed to come from the counter ion of the metal center. Our work provides supporting evidence for the induction of a glycosyl triflate through the role of triflic acid in metal triflate-catalyzed glycosylation reactions.

Synthesis of α-D-GalpN3-(1-3)-D-GalpN3: α- and 3-O-selectivity using 3,4-diol acceptors

The motif α-D-GalpNAc-(1-3)-D-GalpNAc is very common in Nature and hence its synthesis highly relevant. The synthesis of its azido precursor has been studied and optimized in terms of steps, yields and selectivity. It has been found that glycosylation of the 3,4-diol acceptor is an advantage over the use of a 4-O-protected acceptor and that both regio- and anomeric selectivity is enhanced by bulky 6-O-protective groups. The acceptors and donors are made from common building blocks, limiting protective manipulations, and in this context, unavoidable side reactions.

A target oriented expeditious approach towards synthesis of certain bacterial rare sugar derivatives

A 3-step sequential one-pot protection profile manipulation on suitable d-glucosamine/d-mannose derivatives led to the diversity oriented synthesis of rare sugar derivatives.