Synthesis of (+)-dumetorine and congeners by using flow chemistry technologies.

An efficient total synthesis of the natural alkaloid (+)-dumetorine by using flow technology is described. The process entailed five separate steps starting from the enantiopure (S)-2-(piperidin-2-yl)ethanol 4 with 29% overall yield. Most of the reactions were carried out by exploiting solvent superheating and by using packed columns of immobilized reagents or scavengers to minimize handling. New protocols for performing classical reactions under continuous flow are disclosed: the ring-closing metathesis reaction with a novel polyethylene glycol-supported Hoveyda catalyst and the unprecedented flow deprotection/Eschweiler-Clarke methylation sequence. The new protocols developed for the synthesis of (+)-dumetorine were applied to the synthesis of its simplified natural congeners (-)-sedamine and (+)-sedridine.

Modeling of synthetic phosphono and carba analogues of N-acetyl-alpha-D-mannosamine 1-phosphate, the repeating unit of the capsular polysaccharide from Neisseria meningitidis serovar A.

The conformational behavior of methyl (2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha-d-mannopyranosyl)phosphate 1, and its analogues, methyl C-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha-d-mannopyranosyl)methanephosphonate 2 and methyl O-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-5a-carba-alpha-d-mannopyranosyl)phosphate , where a methylene group replaces, respectively, the anomeric and the pyranose oxygen atom, was investigated at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level [6-311+G(2df,p) for the phosphorus atom]. The energy of the optimized structures was recalculated using the continuum solvent model C-PCM choosing water as the solvent. The compounds exhibited several populated conformations, but they all showed a marked preference for the (4)C(1) geometry of the pyranose ring; this preference was almost complete for 1, very large for the phosphono analogue 2, and large for the carba analogue 3. To give experimental support to these results, compounds 2 and 3 were synthesized and characterized by NMR spectroscopy. The comparison of the theoretical and experimental vicinal coupling constants confirmed the marked preference for the (4)C(1) geometry in the case of 2 and suggested that the same holds true for compound 3.

Efficient continuous flow synthesis of hydroxamic acids and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid preparation.

A continuous flow tubing reactor can be used to readily transform methyl or ethyl carboxylic esters into the corresponding hydroxamic acids. Flow rate, reactor volume, and temperature were optimized for the preparation of a small collection of hydroxamic acids. Synthetic advantages were identified as an increased reaction rate and higher product purity. This method was also successfully applied to the multistep preparation of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, a potent HDAC inhibitor used in anticancer therapy.

Amphiphilic N-glycosyl-thiocarbamoyl cyclodextrins: synthesis, self-assembly, and fluorimetry of recognition by Lens culinaris lectin.

Amphiphilic beta-cyclodextrins have been synthesized bearing hexylthio, dodecylthio, and hexadecylthio chains at the 6-positions and glycosylthiocarbamoyl-oligo(ethylene glycol) units at the 2-positions. The glycosyl residues (alpha-D-mannosyl and beta-L-fucosyl) are intended for cell-targeting. Self-assembly of these new amphiphilic glycosylated cyclodextrins in water to form vesicles was investigated by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. Selective binding of the hexylthio assemblies to a protein receptor (Lens culinaris lectin) was confirmed by fluorescence spectroscopy.

NMR evidence for the participation of triflated ionic liquids in glycosylation reaction mechanisms.

A systematic low-temperature NMR study of a glycosylation reaction was performed in the presence of different ionic liquids and acidic catalysts. The influence of the triflate anion derived from [emim][OTf] on the stereochemistry of the glycosylation products was evaluated.

Glycosylation with trichloroacetimidates in ionic liquids: influence of the reaction medium on the stereochemical outcome.

[reactions: see text] The glycosylation with trichloroacetimidates derived from different glycopyranoses bearing a nonparticipating group at C-2 was explored in different ionic liquids as solvents. The stereoselectivity of the reaction was significantly affected by the reaction media and by the anomeric configuration of the donor.

Characterization of endostatin binding to heparin and heparan sulfate by surface plasmon resonance and molecular modeling: role of divalent cations.

Endostatin (20 kDa) is a C-terminal proteolytic fragment of collagen XVIII that is localized in vascular basement membrane zones in various organs. It binds zinc, heparin/heparan sulfate, laminin, and sulfatides and inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth. Here we determined the kinetics and affinity of the interaction of endostatin with heparin/heparan sulfate and investigated the effects of divalent cations on these interactions and on the biological activities of endostatin. The binding of human recombinant endostatin to heparin and heparan sulfate was studied by surface plasmon resonance using BIAcore technology and further characterized by docking and molecular dynamics simulations. Kinetic data, evaluated using a 1:1 interaction model, showed that heparan sulfate bound to and dissociated from endostatin faster than heparin and that endostatin bound to heparin and heparan sulfate with a moderate affinity (K(D) approximately 2 microm). Molecular modeling of the complex between endostatin and heparin oligosaccharides predicted that, compared with mutagenesis studies, two further arginine residues, Arg(47) and Arg(66), participated in the binding. The binding of endostatin to heparin and heparan sulfate required the presence of divalent cations. The addition of ZnCl(2) to endostatin enhanced its binding to heparan sulfate by approximately 40% as well as its antiproliferative effect on endothelial cells stimulated by fibroblast growth factor-2, suggesting that this activity is mediated by the binding of endostatin to heparan sulfate. In contrast, no increase in the antiangiogenic and anti-proliferative activities of endostatin promoted by vascular endothelial growth factor was observed upon the addition of zinc.

A kinetics and modeling study of RANTES(9-68) binding to heparin reveals a mechanism of cooperative oligomerization.

Heparan sulfate (HS) and heparin bind to virtually all chemokines and have been shown to play critical roles in the regulation of their activities. However, both binding mechanisms and structural features involved in chemokine-HS interactions remain poorly defined. In the study presented here, we analyzed the binding of heparin to RANTES(9-68), a N-terminally truncated form of the CC-chemokine RANTES. Using biochemical and surface plasmon resonance (BIAcore system) approaches, we showed that the RANTES(9-68)-heparin interaction was characterized by a complex binding model that involved dimerization of the chemokine through a mechanism of positive cooperativity. Since RANTES(9-68) remains monomeric in solution, we concluded that heparin induced chemokine dimerization. The structure of a complex involving a RANTES dimer and a heparin heptadecasaccharide was proposed by molecular modeling. This model was used to design a dimer of "head to head" coupled octasaccharides that would fit the internal symmetry of the chemokine dimer. This engineered oligosaccharide bound RANTES(9-68) much better than a natural heparin fragment of the same length, further supporting the interaction process and the proposed structural model. Altogether, the data reported here provide a basis for understanding the mechanisms by which HS modulates RANTES functions.

Human milk oligosaccharides: an enzymatic protection step simplifies the synthesis of 3'- and 6'-O-sialyllactose and their analogues.

We describe a chemo-enzymatic synthesis of 3'- and 6'-O-sialyllactose, two trisaccharides occurring in the 'acidic fraction' of the human milk oligosaccharides and endowed with potential antiadhesive activity. The key step is the highly regioselective 6'-O-acylation of benzyllactoside, which gave access to suitably protected lactose building blocks to be used as acceptors in the sialylation reaction. Moreover, the synthesis of the carboxymethyl and sulfo analogues of the title compounds is reported.