Site-Selective Debenzylation of C-Allyl Iminosugars Enables Their Stereocontroled Structure Diversification at the C-2 Position

Stereoselective Synthesis of Nojirimycin α-C-Glycosides from a Bicyclic Acyliminium Intermediate: A Convenient Entry to N,C-Biantennary Glycomimetics

A simple and efficient method for the stereoselective synthesis of nojirimycin α-C-glycoside derivatives has been developed using a bicyclic carbamate-type sp²-iminosugar, whose preparation on a gram scale has been optimized, as the starting material. sp²-iminosugar O-glycosides or anomeric esters serve as excellent precursors of acyliminium cations, which can add nucleophiles, including C-nucleophiles. The stereochemical outcome of the reaction is governed by stereoelectronic effects, affording the target α-anomer with total stereoselectivity. Thus, the judicious combination of C-allylation, carbamate hydrolysis, cross-metathesis, and hydrogenation reactions provides a very convenient entry to iminosugar α-C-glycosides, which have been transformed into N,C-biantennary derivatives by reductive amination or thiourea-forming reactions. The thiourea adducts undergo intramolecular cyclization to bicyclic iminooxazolidine iminosugar α-C-glycosides upon acid treatment, broadening the opportunities for molecular diversity. A preliminary evaluation against a panel of commercial glycosidases validates the approach for finely tuning the inhibitory profile of glycomimetics.

Synthesis, conformational analysis and glycosidase inhibition of bicyclic nojirimycin C-glycosides based on an octahydrofuro[3,2-b]pyridine motif

A set of bicyclic iminosugar C-glycosides, based on an octahydrofuro[3,2-b]pyridine motif, has been synthesized from a C-allyl iminosugar exploiting a debenzylative iodocycloetherification and an iodine nucleophilic displacement as the key steps. The halogen allowed the introduction of a range of aglycon moieties of different sizes bearing several functionalities such as alcohol, amine, amide and triazole. In these carbohydrate mimics the fused THF ring forces the piperidine to adopt a flattened ⁴C₁ conformation according to NMR and DFT calculations studies. In their deprotected form, these bicycles were assayed on a panel of 23 glycosidases. The iminosugars displaying hydrophobic aglycon moieties proved to be superior glycosidase inhibitors, leading to a low micromolar inhibition of human lysosome β-glucosidase (compound 11; IC₅₀ = 2.7 μM) and rice α-glucosidase (compound 10; IC₅₀ = 7.7 μM). Finally, the loose structural analogy of these derivatives with Thiamet G, a potent OGA bicyclic inhibitor, was illustrated by the weak OGA inhibitory activity (Ki = 140 μM) of iminosugar 5.

Contributing to the Study of Enzymatic and Chemical Glycosyl Transfer Through the Observation and Mimicry of Glycosyl Cations

This account describes our efforts dedicated to: 1) the design of glycomimetics aimed at targeting therapeutically relevant carbohydrate processing enzymes, and 2) the observation, characterization, and exploitation of glycosyl cations as a tool for studying the glycosylation reaction. These findings have brought important data regarding this key ionic species as well as innovative strategies to access iminosugars of interest.

1 Introduction

2 The Glycosyl Cation, A Central Species in Glycosciences

2.1 A Selection of the Strategies Developed so far to Gain Insights into Glycosyl Cations Structure

2.2 When Superacids Meet Carbohydrates

3 Chemical Probes to Gain Insights into the Pseudorotational Itinerary of Glycosides During Glycosidic Bond Hydrolysis

3.1 Conformationally Locked Glycosides

3.1.1 The Xylopyranose Case

3.1.2 The Mannopyranose Case

3.2 Conformationally Flexible Iminosugars

3.2.1 Nojirimycin Ring Homologues

3.2.2 Noeuromycin Ring Homologues

3.2.3 Seven-Membered Iminosugar C-Glycosides

4 N-Acetyl-d-glucosamine Mimics

5 Ring Contraction: A Useful Tool to Increase Iminosugar’s Structural Diversity

6 Regioselective Deprotection of Iminosugar C-Glycosides to Introduce Diversity at C2 Position

7 Conclusion

Stereocontrolled Debenzylative Cycloetherification Reaction as a Route to Enantiopure C-Furanosides with Amino Substituents in the Side Chain

A highly efficient methodology of the preparation of synthetically important tetrahydrofuran derivatives with an amino substituent in the side chain is reported. This process is based on the stereocontrolled debenzylative cycloetherification (DBCE) reaction applied for chirons from the d-gluco- and d-manno-series and provides derivatives with new stereogenic centers. The influence of the electron-withdrawing group (EWG), present in the acyclic substrates with the mesyl leaving group, on the reactivity in the DBCE reaction was investigated both “in the flask” and by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It was demonstrated that tetrahydrofuran derivatives with the benzoxime group (EWG = CHNOBn) are very good candidates for the subsequent highly stereoselective Grignard reaction.

Synthesis and glycosidase inhibition of conformationally locked DNJ and DMJ derivatives exploiting a 2-oxo-C-allyl iminosugar

The synthesis and glycosidase inhibition profile of a series of bicyclic analogs of DNJ and DMJ displaying a similar hydroxyl pattern and a distinct conformation is described.