Inhibitory potential of chemical substitutions at bioinspired sites of ß-D-galactopyranose on neoglycoprotein/cell surface binding of two classes of medically relevant lectins.

Galactose is the key contact site for plant AB-toxins and the human adhesion/growth-regulatory galectins. Natural anomeric extensions and 3'-substitutions enhance its reactivity, thus prompting us to test the potential of respective chemical substitutions of galactose in the quest to develop potent inhibitors. Biochemical screening of a respective glycoside library with 60 substances in a solid-phase assay was followed by examining the compounds' activity to protect cells from lectin binding. By testing 32 anomeric extensions, 18 compounds with additional 3'-substitution, three lactosides and two Lewis-type trisaccharides rather mild effects compared to the common haptenic inhibitor lactose were detected in both assays. When using trivalent glycoclusters marked enhancements with 6- to 8-fold increases were revealed for the toxin and three of four tested galectins. Since the most potent compound and also 3'-substituted thiogalactosides reduced cell growth of a human tumor line at millimolar concentrations, biocompatible substitutions and scaffolds will be required for further developments. The synthesis of suitable glycoclusters, presenting headgroups which exploit differences in ligand selection in interlectin comparison to reduce cross-reactivity, and the documented strategic combination of initial biochemical screening with cell assays are considered instrumental to advance inhibitor design.

Domino Heck/lactonization-catalyzed synthesis of 3-C-linked mannopyranosyl coumarins.

Selective syntheses of methyl alpha- (8) and beta-C-mannopyranosyl acrylates (9) were obtained from alpha-C-allyl mannopyranoside (3) by ozonolysis to 4 followed by alpha-methylenation to provide intermediate aldehydes 5 and 6. The beta-anomer 6 was obtained by in situ anomeric epimerization. The acrylates and the homologous alpha-anomer 16, obtained by oxidative hydroboration, oxidation, and alpha-methylenation, were converted into 3-C-linked mannopyranosyl coumarins 11, 12, and 19 in good yields under one-pot Heck/lactonization conditions.

Synthesis of stable and selective inhibitors of human galectins-1 and -3.

The syntheses of glycolytically stable galactosides and lactosides have been made toward the selective inhibition of human galectins-1 and -3. Transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions were used to create carbon-carbon bond formation (Sonogashira, Suzuki, Heck, Glaser). Additionally, Hantzsch condensation was used to create novel 2-aminothiazoles which reacted with a panel of acylating and sulfonylating reagents. Moreover, dimeric galactosides and lactosides bearing triazoles, regiospecifically prepared using copper-catalyzed Huisgen azide-alkyne [1,3]-dipolar cycloaddition, provided efficient galectins-1 and -3 inhibitors. Best monovalent inhibitor among the tested series was (E)-methyl 2-phenyl-4-(beta-D-galactopyranosyl)-but-2-enoate 15 with inhibitory potency of 313 microM against galectin-1 and best dimers were bis-lactoside 68 and 75 having both inhibitory properties of 160 microM against Galectin-3.