Efficient synthesis of β‐(1,6)‐linked oligosaccharides through microwave‐assisted glycosylation

A microwave‐assisted glycosylation method was developed for efficient synthesis of oligosaccharides. Di‐functional AB monomers, 2,3,4‐tri‐O‐acetyl‐α‐d ‐galactopyranosyl bromide ( 3a ) and 2,3,4‐tri‐O‐acetyl‐α‐d ‐glucopyranosyl bromide ( 3b ) were designed and synthesized as weakly reactive monomers to avoid unwanted glycosylation or degradation during preparation and storage. The glycosylations of these monomers gave low conversions and low molecular weight oligosaccharides at rt, reflux, and under low microwave energy irradiation. However, the glycosylation became very effective when high microwave energy was applied, giving 100% conversion and producing oligosaccharides with M_n = 4.76 kDa for 3a and M_n = 4.05 kDa for 3b. The acetylated oligosaccharides were further subjected to deprotection for structural analysis, which indicated the oligosaccharides contain predominantly linear β‐(1,6)‐glycosyl linkages. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 3693–3699     

Volatilization of 14C-Labelled Fenpropimorph after Application to Plants and Soil under Simulated Outdoor Conditions

Abstract

The volatility of fenpropimorph was investigated in a laboratory chamber constructed for studying the volatilization of “4C-labelled pesticides from plant and soil surfaces. Summer barley was cultivated on experimental platforms (0.5 m²) filled with soil and treated in an application chamber with ¹⁴C-labelled fenpropimorph formulation (Corbel^R) at the beginning of ear emergence. After application, the platform was transferred into the volatilization chamber where a 96 h outdoor weather scenario was simulated. The results of three experiments demonstrated that up to 60% of the initial total radioactivity could be released from the plant-soil system within 96 h, most of it being the unchanged ¹⁴C-fenpropimorph which undergoes a fast oxidative (degradation by solar irridation in the atmoshpere. Furthermore, ¹⁴CO, was detected in quantities of 1.1 to 1.8%. After plant extraction, however, mainly polar metabolites, such as fenpropimorh acid, were found four days alter application by Radio-HPLC-analysis. In order to evaluate the volatilization behaviour of fenpropimorph sprayed to bare soils, three additional experiments were carried out showing a volatilization rate of 11.4% at most, much lower than those of plant surfaces.     

Novel Boronlectins Based on Bispyridium Salt with a Flexible Linker: Discriminative Sensing of Lactose and Other Monosaccharides and Disaccharides in Aqueous Solution

N,N‐Di‐2‐picolylamine (DPA)‐derived diboronic acid receptors (NHBAs) with a flexible linker were designed and synthesized in this study, and two‐component sensing ensembles based on cationic NHBAs and an anionic fluorescent indicator 8‐hydroxypyrene‐1,3,6‐trisulfonic acid trisodium salt (HPTS) were successfully developed for both monosaccharides and disaccharides sensing. The dibranched ortho‐substituted receptor NHoBA exhibited unexpected selectivity towards lactose among five disaccharides used. The discrimination of five disaccharides and six monosaccharides was finally achieved by the integrated sensor array through linear discriminant analysis (LDA).     

Synthesis of High‐Mannose Oligosaccharide Analogues through Click Chemistry: True Functional Mimics of Their Natural Counterparts Against Lectins?

Terminal “high‐mannose oligosaccharides” are involved in a broad range of biological and pathological processes, from sperm‐egg fusion to influenza and human immunodeficiency virus infections. In spite of many efforts, their synthesis continues to be very challenging and actually represents a major bottleneck in the field. Whereas multivalent presentation of mannopyranosyl motifs onto a variety of scaffolds has proven to be a successful way to interfere in recognition processes involving high‐mannose oligosaccharides, such constructs fail at reproducing the subtle differences in affinity towards the variety of protein receptors (lectins) and antibodies susceptible to binding to the natural ligands. Here we report a family of functional high‐mannose oligosaccharide mimics that reproduce not only the terminal mannopyranosyl display, but also the core structure and the branching pattern, by replacing some inner mannopyranosyl units with triazole rings. Such molecular design can be implemented by exploiting “click” ligation strategies, resulting in a substantial reduction of synthetic cost. The binding affinities of the new “click” high‐mannose oligosaccharide mimics towards two mannose specific lectins, namely the plant lectin concanavalin A (ConA) and the human macrophage mannose receptor (rhMMR), have been studied by enzyme‐linked lectin assays and found to follow identical trends to those observed for the natural oligosaccharide counterparts. Calorimetric determinations against ConA, and X‐ray structural data support the conclusion that these compounds are not just another family of multivalent mannosides, but real “structural mimics” of the high‐mannose oligosaccharides.     

Synthesis of Chlamydia Lipopolysaccharide Haptens through the use of α‐Specific 3‐Iodo‐Kdo Fluoride Glycosyl Donors

A scalable approach towards high‐yielding and (stereo)selective glycosyl donors of the 2‐ulosonic acid Kdo (3‐deoxy‐D ‐manno‐oct‐2‐ulosonic acid) is a fundamental requirement for the development of vaccines against Gram‐negative bacteria. Herein, we disclose a short synthetic route to 3‐iodo Kdo fluoride donors from Kdo glycal esters that enable efficient α‐specific glycosylations and significantly suppress the elimination side reaction. The potency of these donors is demonstrated in a straightforward, six‐step synthesis of a branched Chlamydia‐related Kdo‐trisaccharide ligand without the need for protecting groups at the Kdo glycosyl acceptor. The approach was further extended to include sequential iteration of the basic concept to produce the linear Chlamydia‐specific α‐Kdo‐(2→8)‐α‐Kdo‐(2→4)‐α‐Kdo trisaccharide in a good overall yield.     

The α‐Glycosidation of Partially Unprotected N‐Acetyl and N‐Glycolyl Sialyl Donors in the Absence of a Nitrile Solvent Effect

The synthesis of α‐sialosides is one of the most difficult reactions in carbohydrate chemistry and is considered to be both a thermodynamically and kinetically disfavored process. The use of acetonitrile as a solvent is an effective solution for the α‐selective glycosidation of N‐acetyl sialic acids. In this report, we report on the α‐glycosidation of partially unprotected N‐acetyl and N‐glycolyl donors in the absence of a nitrile solvent effect. The 9‐O‐benzyl‐N‐acetylthiosialoside underwent glycosidation in CH₂Cl₂ with a good α‐selectivity. On the other hand, the 4,7,8‐O‐triacetyl‐9‐O‐benzyl‐N‐acetylthiosialoside was converted to β‐sialoside as a major product under the same reaction conditions. The results indicate that the O‐acetyl protection of the sialyl donor was a major factor in reducing the α‐selectivity of sialylation. After tuning of the protecting groups of the hydroxy groups at the 4,7,8 position on the sialyl donor, we found that the 9‐O‐benzyl‐4‐O‐chloroacetyl‐N‐acetylthiosialoside underwent sialylation with excellent α‐selectivity in CH₂Cl₂. To demonstrate the utility of the method, straightforward synthesis of α(2,9) disialosides containing N‐acetyl and/or N‐glycolyl groups was achieved by using the two N‐acetyl and N‐glycolyl sialyl donors.     

Three‐Dimensional Arrays Using GlycoPEG Tags: Glycan Synthesis,Purification and Immobilisation

Glycan arrays have become the premier tool for rapidly establishing the binding or substrate specificities of lectins and carbohydrate‐processing enzymes. New approaches for accelerating carbohydrate synthesis to address the enormous complexity of natural glycan structures are necessary. Moreover, optimising glycan immobilisation is key for the development of selective, sensitive and reproducible array‐based assays. We present a tag‐based approach that accelerates the preparation of glycan arrays on all levels by improving the synthesis, the purification and immobilisation of oligosaccharides. Glycan primers were chemically attached to bifunctional polyethyleneglycol (PEG) tags, extended enzymatically with the help of recombinant glycosyltransferases and finally purified by ultrafiltration. When printed directly onto activated glass slides, these glycoPEG tags afforded arrays with exceptionally high sensitivity, low background and excellent spot morphology. Likewise, the conjugation of glycoPEG tags to latex nanoparticles yielded multivalent scaffolds for carbohydrate‐binding assays with very low non‐specific binding.     

Synthesis of Multivalent Carbohydrate‐Centered Glycoclusters as Nanomolar Ligands of the Bacterial Lectin LecA from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

A family of fifteen glycoclusters based on a cyclic oligo‐(1→6)‐β‐D ‐glucosamine core has been designed as potential inhibitors of the bacterial lectin LecA with various valencies (from 2 to 4) and linkers. Evaluation of their binding properties towards LecA has been performed by a combination of hemagglutination inhibition assays (HIA), enzyme‐linked lectin assays (ELLA), and isothermal titration microcalorimetry (ITC). Divalent ligands displayed dissociation constants in the sub‐micromolar range and tetravalent ligands displayed low nanomolar affinities for this lectin. The influence of the linker could also be demonstrated; aromatic moieties are the best scaffolds for binding to the lectin. The affinities observed in vitro were then correlated with molecular models to rationalize the possible binding modes of these glycoclusters with the bacterial lectin.