Direct and stereoselective synthesis of alpha-linked 2-deoxyglycosides

Fe(III)-catalyzed stereoselective synthesis of deoxyglycosides using stable bifunctional deoxy-phenylpropiolate glycoside donors

Herein, we report a mild and economical route for the stereoselective synthesis of 2-deoxy and 2,6-dideoxyglycosides via FeCl3-catalyzed activation of bench stable deoxy-phenylpropiolate glycosyl donors (D-PPGs). Optimized reaction conditions work well under additive-free conditions to afford the corresponding 2-deoxy and 2,6-dideoxyglycosides in good yields with high α-anomeric selectivity by reacting with sugar and non-sugar-based acceptors. The optimized conditions were also extended for disarmed D-PPG donors. In addition, the developed strategy is amenable to high-scale-up synthesis.

Reagent-controlled chemo/stereoselective glycosylation of ʟ-fucal to access rare deoxysugars

2,6-Dideoxy sugars constitute an important class of anticancer antibiotics natural products and serve as essential medicinal tools for carbohydrate-based drug discovery and vaccine development. In particular, 2-deoxy ʟ-fucose or ʟ-oliose is a rare sugar and vital structural motif of several potent antifungal and immunosuppressive bioactive molecules. Herein, we devised a reagent-controlled stereo and chemoselective activation of ʟ-fucal, enabling the distinctive glycosylation pathways to access the rare ʟ-oliose and 2,3-unsaturated ʟ-fucoside. The milder oxo-philic Bi(OTf)3 catalyst induced the direct 1,2-addition predominantly, whereas B(C6F5)3 promoted the allylic Ferrier-rearrangement of the enol-ether moiety in ʟ-fucal glycal donor, distinguishing the competitive mechanisms. The reagent-tunable modular approach is highly advantageous, employing greener catalysts and atom-economical transformations, expensive ligand/additive-free, and probed for a diverse range of substrates comprising monosaccharides, amino-acids, bioactive natural products, and drug scaffolds embedded with susceptible or labile functionalities.

Development of α-Selective Glycosylation with l-Oleandral and Its Application to the Total Synthesis of Oleandrin

This letter describes the development of an α-selective glycosylation using l-oleandrose, a 2-deoxysugar that is frequently found in natural products, and its application to the total synthesis of the natural cardiotonic steroids oleandrin and beaumontoside. To improve the reaction diastereoselectivity and to minimize side-product formation, an extensive evaluation and optimization of the conditions leading to α-selective glycosylation of digitoxigenin with l-oleandrose-based donors was conducted. These studies led to the exploration of 8 different phosphine·acid complexes or salts and yielded HBr·PPh₃ as the optimal catalyst, which provided in the cleanest α-glycosylation and produced protected beaumontoside in 67% yield. Subsequent application of these conditions to synthetic oleandrigenin afforded the desired α-product in 69% isolated yield─enabling the completion of the first synthesis of oleandrin in 17 steps (1.2% yield) from testosterone.

Bismuth-Catalyzed Stereoselective 2-Deoxyglycosylation of Disarmed/Armed Glycal Donors

Bi(OTf)₃ promoted direct and highly stereoselective glycosylation of "disarmed" and "armed" glycals to synthesize 2-deoxyglycosides has been reported. The tunable and solvent-controlled chemoselective activation of deactivated glycal donors distinguishing the competitive Ferrier and 1,2-addition pathways was discovered to improve substrate scope. The practical versatility of the method has been amply demonstrated with the oligosaccharide syntheses and 2-deoxyglycosylation of high-value natural products and drugs.

Chiral auxiliaries: Usefullness in stereoselective glycosylation reactions and their synthetic applications

Oligosaccharides play a very important role in biological system and structure-activity relationships that is why it has a lot of application to medicinal chemistry and development of polysaccharide conjugate vaccines. The stereoselective introduction of a glycosidic linkage presents the principal challenge for biological importance oligosaccharide synthesis. The main aim of this review is to described the importance of chiral auxiliary and neibhouring group participation for the stereoselective 1,2-cis glycosidic bonds formation and their application in complex oligosaccharide synthesis.Numerous 1,2-cis-linked oligosaccharides and glyconjugates are naturally found in the compounds of blood group, human milk, antigens of bacterial lipopolysaccharide etc.that predominantly increased it's importance in this field.

Copper(ii)-catalyzed stereoselective 1,2-addition vs. Ferrier glycosylation of "armed" and "disarmed" glycal donors

Selective activation of "armed' and ''disarmed" glycal donors enabling the stereo-controlled glycosylations by employing Cu(ii)-catalyst as the promoter has been realized. The distinctive stereochemical outcome in the process is mainly influenced by the presence of diverse protecting groups on the donor and the solvent system employed. The protocol is compatible with a variety of aglycones including carbohydrates, amino acids, and natural products to access deoxy-glycosides and glycoconjugates with high α-anomeric selectivity. Notably, the synthetic practicality of the method is amply verified for the stereoselective assembling of trisaccharides comprising 2-deoxy components. Mechanistic studies involving deuterated experiments validate the syn-diastereoselective 1,2-addition of acceptors on the double bond of armed donors.

A One-Pot Method for Removal of Thioacetyl Group via Desulfurization under Ultraviolet Light To Synthesize Deoxyglycosides

We herein developed an efficient method for removing thioacetyl to synthesize acylated deoxy glycosides in a one-pot reaction, where the thioacetyl was selectively deacetylated by hydrazine hydrate in DMF within 2-5 min at room temperature, followed by desulfurization under UV light for 1-2 h in the presence of TCEP·HCl. The method was then used to synthesize 2-deoxy glycosides with absolute α/β-configuration via stereoselective control of C-2 thioacetate in glycosylation.

Methods for 2-Deoxyglycoside Synthesis

Deoxy-sugars often play a critical role in modulating the potency of many bioactive natural products. Accordingly, there has been sustained interest in methods for their synthesis over the past several decades. The focus of much of this work has been on developing new glycosylation reactions that permit the mild and selective construction of deoxyglycosides. This Review covers classical approaches to deoxyglycoside synthesis, as well as more recently developed chemistry that aims to control the selectivity of the reaction through rational design of the promoter. Where relevant, the application of this chemistry to natural product synthesis will also be described.

Efficient glycosylation of natural Danshensu and its enantiomer by sugar and 2-deoxy sugar donors

An efficient methodology of the glycosylation process of a secondary plant metabolite (R-Danshensu) and its enantiomer by sugar and 2-deoxy sugar donors was developed. The overall synthesis of the new sugar derivatives involved two steps, starting from the previously synthesized protected R and S Danshensu (1 and 2). The deoxy sugar derivatives of R and S Danshensu were obtained from available tri-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-D-glucal and di-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-D-ramnal. The direct glycosylation of 1 and 2 using glycal activation by an acid catalyst in all cases led to the α-anomers of deoxy sugar derivatives with good yields. As a result, a novel group of sugar and deoxy sugar conjugates with optically pure polyphenolic acids was successfully synthesized and their cytotoxic profile against two cancer cell lines was tested. An advantageous ADME profile and antiproliferative data classified this new group of compounds as a promising scaffold for further modification of more potent and selective anticancer agents.

Chiral reagents in glycosylation and modification of carbohydrates

Carbohydrates play a significant role in numerous biological events, and the chemical synthesis of carbohydrates is vital for further studies to understand their various biological functions. Due to the structural complexity of carbohydrates, the stereoselective formation of glycosidic linkages and the site-selective modification of hydroxyl groups are very challenging and at the same time extremely important. In recent years, the rapid development of chiral reagents including both chiral auxiliaries and chiral catalysts has significantly improved the stereoselectivity for glycosylation reactions and the site-selectivity for the modification of carbohydrates. These new tools will greatly facilitate the efficient synthesis of oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, and glycoconjugates. In this tutorial review, we will summarize these advances and highlight the most recent examples.

L-Proline/CeCl3·7H2O-NaI mediated stereoselective synthesis of α-2-deoxy glycosides from glucal

Glucal with different alcohols can be converted into the corresponding 2-deoxy glycosides without Ferrier rearrangement in high yield by treatment with eco friendly transition metal based catalysts [CuCl₃·2H₂O-NaI (A) or CeCl₃·7H₂O-NaI (B)] and chiral amine ligand L-proline at various reaction conditions which were optimized for stereoselectivity. The catalyst CeCl₃·7H₂O-NaI (B) and ligand L-proline in toluene, was found to be much more efficient and high atom economic for the stereoselective glycosidation of propargyl alcohol with glucal, afforded exclusively α-2-deoxy propargyl glycoside in 98% optimized yield. The ligand L-proline was used for the first time in stereoselective glycosidation of α-2-deoxy glycosides involving glucal and alcohols.

2-Deoxyglycosyl 3-benzoylpropionates as novel donors for the direct and stereoselective synthesis of 2-deoxy-glycosides

Lewis acid mediated stereoselective synthesis of 2-deoxy-O-glycosides has been demonstrated using 2-deoxyglycosyl 3-benzoylpropionates as novel glycosyl donors.

Chemical O-Glycosylations: An Overview

The development of glycobiology relies on the sources of particular oligosaccharides in their purest forms. As the isolation of the oligosaccharide structures from natural sources is not a reliable option for providing samples with homogeneity, chemical means become pertinent. The growing demand for diverse oligosaccharide structures has prompted the advancement of chemical strategies to stitch sugar molecules with precise stereo- and regioselectivity through the formation of glycosidic bonds. This Review will focus on the key developments towards chemical O-glycosylations in the current century. Synthesis of novel glycosyl donors and acceptors and their unique activation for successful glycosylation are discussed. This Review concludes with a summary of recent developments and comments on future prospects.

TMSBr-mediated solvent- and work-up-free synthesis of α-2-deoxyglycosides from glycals

The thio-additions of glycals were efficiently promoted by a stoichiometric amount of trimethylsilyl bromide (TMSBr) to produce S-2-deoxyglycosides under solvent-free conditions in good to excellent yields. In addition, with triphenylphosphine oxide as an additive, the TMSBr-mediated direct glycosylations of glycals with a large range of alcohols were highly α-selective.

Assembly of a Complex Branched Oligosaccharide by Combining Fluorous-Supported Synthesis and Stereoselective Glycosylations using Anomeric Sulfonium Ions

There is an urgent need to develop reliable strategies for the rapid assembly of complex oligosaccharides. This paper presents a set of strategically selected orthogonal protecting groups, glycosyl donors modified by a (S)-phenylthiomethylbenzyl ether at C-2, and a glycosyl acceptor containing a fluorous tag, which makes it possible to rapidly prepare complex branched oligosaccharides of biological importance. The C-2 auxiliary controlled the 1,2-cis anomeric selectivity of the various galactosylations. The orthogonal protecting groups, 2-naphthylmethyl ether (Nap) and levulinic ester (Lev), made it possible to generate glycosyl acceptors and allowed the installation of a crowded branching point. After the glycosylations, the chiral auxiliary could be removed using acidic conditions, which was compatible with the presence of the orthogonal protecting groups Lev and Nap, thereby allowing the efficient installation of 1,2-linked glycosides. The light fluorous tag made it possible to purify the compounds by a simple filtration method using silica gel modified by fluorocarbons. The set of building blocks was successfully employed for the preparation of the carbohydrate moiety of the GPI anchor of Trypanosoma brucei, which is a parasite that causes sleeping sickness in humans and similar diseases in domestic animals.

Au(i) π-bis(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)acetylene triphenylphosphine complex, an effective pre-catalyst for Au(i)-catalyzed reactions

A [Ph₃PAu]⁺ η²-alkyne π complex is found to be shelf-stable and effective for a range of the Au(i)-catalyzed alkyne π activation reactions.

A 3,4-trans-fused cyclic protecting group facilitates α-selective catalytic synthesis of 2-deoxyglycosides

A practical approach has been developed to convert glucals and rhamnals into disaccharides or glycoconjugates with high α-selectivity and yields (77-97%) using a trans-fused cyclic 3,4-O-disiloxane protecting group and TsOH⋅H2O (1 mol%) as a catalyst. Control of the anomeric selectivity arises from conformational locking of the intermediate oxacarbenium cation. Glucals outperform rhamnals because the C6 side-chain conformation augments the selectivity.

Recent Advances in Transition Metal-Catalyzed Glycosylation

Having access to mild and operationally simple techniques for attaining carbohydrate targets will be necessary to facilitate advancement in biological, medicinal, and pharmacological research. Even with the abundance of elegant reports for generating glycosidic linkages, stereoselective construction of α- and β-oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates is by no means trivial. In an era where expanded awareness of the impact we are having on the environment drives the state-of-the-art, synthetic chemists are tasked with developing cleaner and more efficient reactions for achieving their transformations. This movement imparts the value that prevention of waste is always superior to its treatment or cleanup. This review will highlight recent advancement in this regard by examining strategies that employ transition metal catalysis in the synthesis of oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates. These methods are mild and effective for constructing glycosidic bonds with reduced levels of waste through utilization of sub-stoichiometric amounts of transition metals to promote the glycosylation.

Stereoselective assembly of complex oligosaccharides using anomeric sulfonium ions as glycosyl donors

The development of selectively protected monosaccharide building blocks that can reliably be glycosylated with a wide variety of acceptors is expected to make oligosaccharide synthesis a more routine operation. In particular, there is an urgent need for the development of modular building blocks that can readily be converted into glycosyl donors for glycosylations that give reliably high 1,2-cis-anomeric selectivity. We report here that 1,2-oxathiane ethers are stable under acidic, basic, and reductive conditions making it possible to conduct a wide range of protecting group manipulations and install selectively removable protecting groups such as levulinoyl (Lev) ester, fluorenylmethyloxy (Fmoc)- and allyloxy (Alloc)-carbonates, and 2-methyl naphthyl ethers (Nap). The 1,2-oxathiane ethers could easily be converted into bicyclic anomeric sulfonium ions by oxidization to sulfoxides and arylated with 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene. The resulting sulfonium ions gave high 1,2-cis-anomeric selectivity when glycosylated with a wide variety of glycosyl acceptors including properly protected amino acids, primary and secondary sugar alcohols and partially protected thioglycosides. The selective protected 1,2-oxathianes were successfully employed in the preparation of a branched glucoside derived from a glycogen-like polysaccharide isolated form the fungus Pseudallescheria boydii , which is involved in fungal phagocytosis and activation of innate immune responses. The compound was assembled by a latent-active glycosylation strategy in which an oxathiane was employed as an acceptor in a glycosylation with a sulfoxide donor. The product of such a glycosylation was oxidized to a sulfoxide for a subsequent glycosylation. The use of Nap and Fmoc as temporary protecting groups made it possible to install branching points.

Analysis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry: an update for 2007-2008

This review is the fifth update of the original review, published in 1999, on the application of MALDI mass spectrometry to the analysis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates and brings coverage of the literature to the end of 2008. The first section of the review covers fundamental studies, fragmentation of carbohydrate ions, use of derivatives and new software developments for analysis of carbohydrate spectra. Among newer areas of method development are glycan arrays, MALDI imaging and the use of ion mobility spectrometry. The second section of the review discusses applications of MALDI MS to the analysis of different types of carbohydrate. Specific compound classes that are covered include carbohydrate polymers from plants, N- and O-linked glycans from glycoproteins, biopharmaceuticals, glycated proteins, glycolipids, glycosides and various other natural products. There is a short section on the use of MALDI mass spectrometry for the study of enzymes involved in glycan processing and a section on the use of MALDI MS to monitor products of the chemical synthesis of carbohydrates with emphasis on carbohydrate-protein complexes and glycodendrimers. Corresponding analyses by electrospray ionization now appear to outnumber those performed by MALDI and the amount of literature makes a comprehensive review on this technique impractical. However, most of the work relating to sample preparation and glycan synthesis is equally relevant to electrospray and, consequently, those proposing analyses by electrospray should also find material in this review of interest.

Protecting groups in carbohydrate chemistry: influence on stereoselectivity of glycosylations

Saccharides are polyhydroxy compounds, and their synthesis requires complex protecting group manipulations. Protecting groups are usually used to temporarily mask a functional group which may interfere with a certain reaction, but protecting groups in carbohydrate chemistry do more than protecting groups usually do. Particularly, protecting groups can participate in reactions directly or indirectly, thus affecting the stereochemical outcomes, which is important for synthesis of oligosaccharides. Herein we present an overview of recent advances in protecting groups influencing stereoselectivity in glycosylation reactions, including participating protecting groups, and conformation-constraining protecting groups in general.

Erosion of stereochemical control with increasing nucleophilicity: O-glycosylation at the diffusion limit

Nucleophilic substitution reactions of 2-deoxyglycosyl donors indicated that the reactivity of the oxygen nucleophile has a significant impact on stereoselectivity. Employing ethanol as the nucleophile resulted in a 1:1 (alpha:beta) ratio of diastereomers under S(N)1-like reaction conditions. Stereoselective formation of the 2-deoxy-alpha-O-glycoside was only observed when weaker nucleophiles, such as trifluoroethanol, were employed. The lack of stereoselectivity observed in reactions of common oxygen nucleophiles can be attributed to reaction rates of the stereochemistry-determining step that approach the diffusion limit. In this scenario, both faces of the prochiral oxocarbenium ion are subject to nucleophilic addition to afford a statistical mixture of diastereomeric products. Control experiments confirmed that all nucleophilic substitution reactions were performed under kinetic control.

2,3-Anhydrosugars in glycoside bond synthesis. Application to 2,6-dideoxypyranosides

We describe here the first use of 2,3-anhydrosugars as glycosylating agents for the preparation of 2-deoxypyranosides. In particular, the methodology was used to assemble 2,6-dideoxysugar glycosides. Glycosylation of a panel of alcohols with one of two 6-deoxy-2,3-anhydrosugar thioglycosides (8 and 9) in the presence of a Lewis acid afforded 2,6-dideoxy-2-thiotolyl glycoside products in generally excellent yields with an exclusively syn relationship between the aglycon and the C-3 hydroxyl group. Removal of the 2-thiotolyl group can be achieved upon reaction with tri-n-butyltin hydride and AIBN to give the corresponding 2,6-dideoxy pyranosides. Once developed, the method was applied to the synthesis of oligosaccharide moieties in the natural products apoptolidin and olivomycin A.