Amide-1,2,3-triazole bioisosterism: the glycogen phosphorylase case

Per-O-acetylated β-d-glucopyranosyl azide was transformed into an intermediate iminophosphorane by PMe₃ which was then acylated to N-acyl-β-d-glucopyranosylamines. The same azide and substituted acetylenes gave 1-(β-d-glucopyranosyl)-4-substituted-1,2,3-triazoles in Cu(I)-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloadditions. Deprotection of these products by the Zemplén method furnished β-d-Glc_p-NHCO-R derivatives as well as 1-(β-d-Glc_p)-4-R-1,2,3-triazoles which were evaluated as inhibitors of rabbit muscle glycogen phosphorylase b. Pairs of amides versus triazoles with the same R group displayed similar inhibition constants. X-ray crystallographic studies on the enzyme–inhibitor complexes revealed high similarities in the binding of pairs with R = 2-naphthyl and hydroxymethyl, while for the R = Ph and 1-naphthyl compounds a different orientation of the aromatic part and changes in the conformation of the 280s loop were observed. By this study new examples of amide-1,2,3-triazole bioisosteric relationship have been provided.