Synthesis of Differentially Protected Glucosamine Building Blocks and Their Evaluation as Glycosylating Agents

The modular assembly of heparin oligosaccharides requires glucosamine building blocks with amine protecting groups for α-selective glycosylations that can be readily removed. The synthesis of N-4-nitrobenzensulphonamide (nosyl)- and N-2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP)-protected glucosamine building blocks and their evaluation as glycosylating agents is described. The N-nosyl-protected glucosamine building blocks were challenging to prepare and their glycosylations resulted in inseparable mixtures of products. The N-DNP-protected glucosamines, however, were readily synthesized and resulted in α-selective couplings to protected l-iduronic acid derivatives.     

Caged O-phosphorothioyl amino acids as building blocks for Fmoc-based solid phase peptide synthesis

The synthesis of 1-(2-nitrophenylethyl) caged O-phosphorothioylserine, -threonine, and -tyrosine derivatives is reported. These amino acid building blocks can be directly incorporated into peptides by Fmoc-based solid phase synthesis as their pentafluorophenyl esters or as symmetric anhydrides. Upon irradiation with UV light, the thiophosphate group, representing a hydrolysis resistant phosphate analog, is revealed.     

Toward the assembly of heparin and heparan sulfate oligosaccharide libraries: efficient synthesis of uronic acid and disaccharide building blocks

The monosaccharide moieties found in heparin (HP) and heparan sulfate (HS), glucosamine and two kinds of uronic acids, glucuronic and iduronic acids, were efficiently synthesized by use of glucosamine hydrochloride and glucurono-6,3-lactone as starting compounds. In the synthesis of the disaccharide building block, the key issues of preparation of uronic acids (glucuronic acid and iduronic acid moieties) were achieved in 12 steps and 15 steps, respectively, without cumbersome C-6 oxidation. The resulting monosaccharide moieties were utilized to the syntheses of HP/HS disaccharide building blocks possessing glucosamine-glucuronic acid (GlcN-GlcA) or iduronic acid (GlcN-IdoA) sequences. The disaccharide building blocks were also suitable for further modification such as glycosylation, selective deprotection, and sulfation.     

N-Dmc protected amino acid aglycones: versatile hydrogenolysis stable acceptors for O-glycosylation

N^α-(4,4-Dimethyl-2,6-dioxocyclohexylidenemethylene) (Dmc) protected l-serine, l-threonine and l-homoserine have been prepared as tert-butyl esters in excellent yields. These hydrogenolysis stable acceptors underwent efficient α-O-glycosylation with an l-fucopyranosyl bromide donor and also allowed convenient protecting group manipulations to ultimately deliver novel glycoamino acid building blocks suitable for Fmoc based solid-phase glycopeptide synthesis.     

Thioester-assisted α-sialylation reaction

α-Selective sialylation reactions were carried out using novel sialic acid building blocks that possess a thioester auxiliary. In contrast to other arylthio- and benzylthioester derivatives, sialyl phosphite 1a (with the phenylthioester moiety) was employed as the α-selective building block, and was reacted with various primary alcohols, including the C6-OH group of galactose and glucose, with moderate to excellent α-selectivities. For C3-OH of the galactose, 4,6-di-O-benzylgalactal afforded desired α-linkage with excellent selectivity.     

Ethynyl MIDA boronate: a readily accessible and highly versatile building block for small molecule synthesis

Ethynyl N-methyliminodiacetic acid (MIDA) boronate is a very useful building block for small molecule synthesis. This compound can serve as both a bifunctional acetylene equivalent with the capacity for terminus-selective bis-functionalization and a versatile starting material for the preparation of a wide range of other MIDA boronate building blocks.     

Synthesis of nucleoside aminooxy acids

First nucleoside aminooxy acids were synthesized from furanoid sugar phthalimidooxy acids by N-glycosylation with uracil, thymine, N-benzoylcytosine, 6-N-benzoyladenine and 2-N-acetyl-6-O-diphenylcarbamoylguanine. Boc or Fmoc protected uridine aminooxy acid derivatives have also been prepared. As oxyamine protecting group, the phthalimido group was shown to be instable in MeOH, leading to the imide ring-opening product in a reversible way. This reaction was accelerated under acid or basic conditions. A uridine dimer linked by N-oxy amide has also been prepared by coupling of uridine aminooxy ester with uridine phthalimidooxy acid. These nucleoside aminooxy acids might constitute useful building blocks for the development of novel RNA mimics and conjugates with other biomolecules or reporter compounds.     

Expedient synthesis of a novel class of pseudoaromatic amino acids: tetrahydroindazol-3-yl- and tetrahydrobenzisoxazol-3-ylalanine derivatives

A concise synthesis of novel homochiral aromatic amino acid surrogates comprising a tetrahydroindazole or a benzisoxazole system was developed via the acylation of a cyclic 1,3-diketone by the side-chain carboxyl functionality of either Boc-Asp-OtBu or Boc-Glu-OtBu followed by regioselective condensation with hydrazine, N-benzylhydrazine and hydroxylamine. The tetrahydroindazole nucleus was also constructed by the condensation of Boc-Asp-OtBu with the enamine, 1-pyrrolidino-1-cyclohexene followed by acid-hydrolytic treatment and reaction with hydrazines. Further functional group transformations gave N^α-Fmoc-protected derivatives as useful building blocks for solid-phase peptide assembly.     

Design and synthesis of dimeric heparinoid mimetics

Synthetic oligosaccharide constructs exhibiting tailored and well-defined heparan sulfate (HS) like sequences offer the potential to modulate dynamic HS-dependent biomolecular recognition processes. We report an efficient strategy for the generation of HS-like fragments [GlcA-beta-(1,4)-GlcNAc] and related dimerized (gemini) disaccharides (4a and 4b) via n-pentenyl glycoside formation. When a convergent synthetic approach was utilized, construction of target molecules was achieved through a combination of chemoselective protection/deprotection protocols, imidate and n-pentenyl glycosylations, and functional group manipulations followed by ozonolysis and reductive amination. For example, glycosylation of a 2-azido glycoside (25) with a trichloroacetimidate glucuronic acid donor (13), using a catalytic amount of TMSOTf, furnished heparin-like disaccharides (28a and 28b) that were equipped with an n-pentenyl tether at the anomeric end. In turn, heparinoid-like gemini disaccharides (4a and 4b) were produced by selective transformation of the olefinic unit in the n-pentenyl glycoside to the four-carbon aldehyde followed by reductive amination with ethylenediamine. The described synthetic approach provides access to structural variants of small heparinoid oligomers as versatile building blocks for generating novel HS mimetic pharmacotherapeutics, diagnostic reagents, and biomaterials.     

New synthesis of idraparinux,the non-glycosaminoglycan analogue of the antithrombin-binding domain of heparin

Idraparinux, the fully O-sulfated, O-methylated, heparin-related pentasaccharide possessing selective factor Xa inhibitory activity, was prepared by a new synthetic pathway. This route was based on a [2+3] block synthesis utilizing a 6-O-silyl-protected l-idose-containing trisaccharide acceptor, which was glycosylated with a disaccharide donor containing a non-oxidized precursor of the glucuronic acid. The unique strategy of multiple functionalizations at pentasaccharide levels, involving triple methylation followed by oxidation of the glucose and the idose precursors into d-glucuronic and l-iduronic acids in one step, proved to be highly efficient, providing the target pentasaccharide through a 39-step synthesis starting from d-glucose and methyl α-d-glucopyranoside.     

Synthesis of photolabile 2-(2-nitrophenyl)propyloxycarbonyl protected amino acids

The 2-(2-nitrophenyl)propyloxycarbonyl (NPPOC) group has been introduced as a photolabile amino protecting group for amino acids to be used as building blocks in photolithographic solid-phase peptide synthesis. NPPOC-protected amino acids were found to be cleaved in the presence of UV light about twice as fast as the corresponding o-nitroveratryloxycarbonyl (NVOC)-protected amino acids.     

cis-Pyridyl core-modified porphyrins for the synthesis of cationic water-soluble porphyrins and unsymmetrical non-covalent porphyrin arrays

Synthesis of a series of 21-thia and 21-oxoporphyrin building blocks containing two pyridyl functional groups at the meso positions in a cis fashion is reported. The building blocks were used to synthesize a series of cationic water-soluble 21-thia and 21-oxoporphyrins. An unsymmetrical non-covalent trimer containing two dissimilar porphyrin cores such as one N₃S and two N₄ porphyrins cores was also constructed using the pyridyl porphyrin building blocks reported here.     

Dinucleotides containing two allyl groups by combinations of allyl phosphotriesters, 5-allyl-, 2′-O-allyl- and 2′-arabino-O-allyl uridine derivatives as substrates for ring-closing metathesis

Five different dinucleotides, each containing two allyl groups in various positions, were prepared and studied as substrates for ring-closing metathesis reactions. These dinucleotides were designed from appropriate nucleoside building blocks combining four different positions for the allyl group; the allyl phosphotriester linkage, 5-allyl-2′-deoxyuridine, and ribo- as well as arabino-configured 2′-O-allyluridine. Thus, convenient procedures for these building blocks were developed. From the dinucleotides, two new cyclic nucleotide structures were obtained; one connecting two adjacent nucleobase moieties and the other forming an unsaturated four-carbon linkage between the phosphate moiety and the adjacent pyrimidine nucleobase. The latter cyclic dinucleotide was also prepared with a saturated four-carbon linkage using a tandem ring-closing metathesis-hydrogenation procedure. This compound was found to be significantly more stable towards a nucleophilic ring-opening than its unsaturated counterpart.     

Chiral Nβ-Fmoc-amino alkyl isonitriles in Ugi-4CR: an assembly of novel 1,1′-iminodicarboxylated peptidomimetics

Enantiopure N^β-Fmoc-amino alkyl isonitriles and amino acid esters have been employed as building blocks in Ugi four-component reaction (U-4CR) to yield 1,1′-iminodicarboxylated peptidomimetics. By employing trifluoroacetic acid as one of the components, a different outcome has been observed and rationalized. Ugi products are obtained as trifluoroacetamide adducts, which on further reaction under mild acidic conditions lead to the title compounds. The method has also been proven to be useful for the preparation of ethyl, benzyl and tert-butyl esters.     

Short and highly stereoselective total synthesis of d-ribo-configured ureido sugars

An highly stereoselective, flexible and very short synthetic approach to d-ribo-configured ureido monosaccharides of the aldose, aldonic acid and alditol series has been performed starting from the 5-(alditol-1-C-yl)-hydantoin intermediates, obtained via aldol-type addition reaction of hydantoin based building blocks to enantiomerically pure aldehydes. A study to assess the stereoselectivity of this reaction has been undertaken and a very high increase of diastereoselectivity was observed depending on the hydantoin protecting group. The imidazolidinone ring elaboration of 5-(alditol-1-C-yl)-hydantoin intermediates to give ureido sugar derivatives was studied.     

An efficient one-pot construction of substituted pyrimidinones

A concise, scaleable synthesis of building block 10 for p38 kinase inhibitor B is described. The key step is the one-pot construction of 5-aryl-3-methyl-2-methylsulfanyl-6-pyridin-4-yl-3H-pyrimidin-4-one 4 from arylacetic acid ethyl ester 1. Subsequent hydrolysis of the thiomethyl group to the hydroxy group and chlorination provided the key intermediate, 2-chloro-3-methyl-6-pyridin-4-yl-5-aryl-3H-pyrimidin-4-one 10. This class of reactive building blocks enabled the rapid evaluation of a variety of side chains at the 2-position of the pyrimidinone in SAR studies of inhibitors of p38 MAP kinase.     

Synthesis of adamantane functional derivatives basing on <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-[(adamantan-1-yl)alkyl]acetamides

A series of new polyfunctional derivatives was synthesized with use of N-[(adamantan-1-yl)alkyl]-acetamides as a starting material. The reactions were carried out in acid media. The obtained compounds could be considered as a building blocks for the synthesis of conformationally restricted peptidomimetics.     

Selectively protected galactose derivatives for the synthesis of branched oligosaccharides

Synthesis and characterization of several new anomerically pure galactose derivatives, based on simple and effective protective group manipulations of benzyl β-d-galactopyranoside, are reported. The monosaccharides described contain selectively protected/deprotected hydroxyl functionalities at their 1,2,3,4- and 6-positions rendering them useful as building blocks for construction of branched oligosaccharides.     

Stereoselective routes to 3-hydroxy and 3,4-dihydroxy derivatives of 2-aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acid

The Diels-Alder adduct of ethyl (E)-3-nitroacrylate and furan provides a versatile template for the stereoselective synthesis of mono and dihydroxylated derivatives of 2-aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acid (ACHC). The hydroxylated ACHC derivatives can be considered to be useful building blocks for β-peptides.     

Practical synthesis of perylene-monoimide building blocks that possess features appropriate for use in porphyrin-based light-harvesting arrays

Perylene-monoimide dyes with solubilizing aryloxy substituents at the perylene perimeter and a synthetic handle on the N-aryl group are valuable building blocks for incorporation as accessory pigments in porphyrin-based light-harvesting arrays. A family of such dyes has been prepared by reaction of 1,6,9-tris(4-tert-butylphenoxy)perylene-3,4-dicarboxylic anhydride with a set of 4-iodo/ethynyl anilines (with or without 2,6-diisopropyl substituents) in the presence of Zn(OAc)₂·2H₂O in imidazole/mesitylene at 130°C. The workup procedures throughout the synthesis have been streamlined for scale-up purposes, minimizing chromatography. Two bis(perylene)porphyrin building blocks were prepared in a rational manner and examined in Sonogashira and Glaser polymerizations. The two isopropyl groups on the N-aryl group and the three 4-tert-butylphenoxy groups at the perylene perimeter are essential for high solubility of the bis(perylene)porphyrins and corresponding oligomers in organic solvents.