Rapid production of a panel of blood group A-active oligosaccharides using chemically synthesized di- and tri-saccharide primers and an easily prepared porcine (1-->3)-alpha-N-acetyl-D-galactosaminyltransferase.

A porcine (1-->3)-alpha-N-acetyl-D-galactosaminyltransferase was obtained in a state suitable for preparative-scale (mg-scale) synthesis using simple procedures requiring only three days of effort. The enzyme thus prepared transferred GalNAc efficiently from UDP-GalNAc to six different chemically synthesized di- and tri-saccharide H-active structures to yield blood-group A-active oligosaccharides that were characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. This work further demonstrates the efficiency and attractiveness of using glycosyltransferases in a combined chemoenzymatic approach for the rapid production of biologically active oligosaccharides.

The synthesis of chemically modified disaccharide derivatives of the Shigella flexneri Y polysaccharide antigen.

Disaccharide analogs related to the 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-3-O-(alpha-L- rhamnopyranosyl)-beta-D-glucopyranose element of the Shigella flexneri Y polysaccharide antigen have been synthesized and used to map the binding site of murine monoclonal antibodies GC-4 and SYA/J6 by solid-phase inhibition assays. N-Acetyl, N-trifluoroacetyl and N-benzyloxycarbonyl derivatives of methyl-2-amino-4,6-O-benzylidene-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside 1, 3, and 4 were glycosylated by rhamnopyranosyl bromide and thioglycoside donors 5 and 6. These in turn provided access to a series of alpha-L-Rha p-(1-->3)-beta-D-GlcNp-(1-->O)-Me disaccharide glycosides with amino 13, N-acetyl 10, N-propionyl 14, N-pivaloyl 15, and N-trifluoroacetyl 11 functionalities. Congeners of the disaccharide 10 were synthesized with monodeoxy groups introduced at the C-4 and C-6 positions of the GlcNAc residues and at the C-4' position of the rhamnose unit. Chlorosulfation of the selectively protected disaccharide 24, followed by reduction of the 4-chloro-4-deoxy compound 25, was used to prepare the 4-deoxy congener 27, while the C-6 and C-4' deoxy derivatives 31 and 23 were assembled from their respective pre-functionalized monosaccharide building blocks 29 and 19.

Synthesis and bioactivity of copolymers with fragments of heparin.

A new type of biocompatible copolymer comprising small fragments of heparin, (octa- to dodecasaccharides) copolymerized with a synthetic monomeric component, viz. acrylamide, has been prepared. The heparin fragments are produced by enzymatic or chemical means and are copolymerized, directly or after suitable derivatization, with acrylamide as the major polymerizable component. The polymeric material incorporates the heparin segments as pendant moieties such that their essential functional groups and structural features for specific binding with the selective serine protease coagulation factor inhibitor antithrombin III are preserved. An important feature of this copolymer is its biocompatibility which relates specifically to its antithrombotic and antithrombogenic activity derived from those of heparin fragments. The biological activity of heparin fragments and copolymers thereof are determined in terms of APTT and anti-Xa activity, their antithrombotic potential being expressed as a ratio of anti-Xa activity to APTT. The copolymers reported have biological activities similar to equivalent amounts of respective heparin fragments, and show higher antithrombotic activity compared to intact heparin or commercially available low-molecular-weight heparin (4,000-6,000 Da).

Synthesis of some indole derivatives with potential antiinflammatory activity.

2-Methylindole-3-acethydrazide (1) was reacted with arylisothiocyanate to give the corresponding 4-arylthiosemicarbazides 2a-d. Cyclization of the latter gave the corresponding 3-mercapto-5-[3-(2-methylindolyl)methyl]-1,2,4-triazoles 3a-d. Compounds 3a-c reacted with chloroacetic acid to give the corresponding indolyl-1,2,4-triazolythioglycolic acids 4a-c. The methylmercapto derivative 5 was also obtained from 3a and methyliodide. The hydrazide 1 was also reacted with carbon disulfide to give the corresponding indolymethyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thione (6) which was condensed with piperidine and formaldehyde to give the corresponding Mannich base 7. Condensation of 1 with aromatic aldehydes gave the corresponding hydrazones 8a-c which were converted into the corresponding oxadiazolines 9a-c.