Studies of cyclodextrin effect for glycosylation by galactosyltransferase

Cyclodextrins (CDs) do not disturb HPLC purification and do not form lather, which makes them superior to commonly used surfactants. In this paper, the authors describe the utility of CDs, specifically α-CD, β-CD, and γ-CD, for the synthesis of neoglycolipids from insoluble peptide-linked substrates. γ-CD was found to be well matched to the bulky benzyl group and accelerated the reaction for the substrate having Phe (F), while β-CD was well matched to the methyl group and accelerated the reaction for the substrate having Ala (A). Galactosylation to water-insoluble peptide-linked glucosaminide substrate by galactosyltransferase proceeded 63% at the most, but using either β-CD or γ-CD gave quantitative yield within 10 h.