Donor‐Reactivity‐Controlled Sialylation Reactions

Syntheses of α(2,8) Sialosides Containing NeuAc and NeuGc by Using Double Carbonyl-Protected N-Acyl Sialyl Donors

We report on the syntheses of NeuAc and NeuGc-containing glycosides via the use of double carbonyl-protected N-acetyl sialyl donors. The 7-O,9-O-carbonyl protection of an N-acyl-5-N,4-O-carbonyl-protected sialyl donor markedly increased the α-selectivity during glycosylation, particularly when glycosylating the C-8 hydroxyl group of sialic acids. The N-acyl carbamates were selectively opened with ethanethiol under basic conditions to provide N-acyl amines. It is noteworthy that N-glycolyl carbamate was more reactive to nucleophiles by comparison with the N-acetyl carbamate due to the electron-withdrawing oxygen in the N-acyl group and however, allowed selective opening of the carbamates without the loss of N-glycolyl groups. To demonstrate the utility of the approach, we began by synthesizing α(2,3) and α(2,6) sialyl galactosides. Glycosylation of the hydroxy groups of galactosides at the C-6 position with the NeuAc and NeuGc donors provided the corresponding sialyl galactoses in good yields with excellent α-selectivity. However, glycosylation of the 2,3-diol galactosyl acceptor selectively provided Siaα(2,2)Gal. Next, we prepared a series of α(2,8) disialosides composed of NeuAc and NeuGc. Glycosylation of NeuGc and NeuAc acceptors at the C-8 hydroxyl group with NeuGc and NeuAc sialyl donors provided the corresponding α(2,8) disialosides, and no significant differences were detected in the reactivities of these acceptors.

Synthesis of sialyl halides with various acyl protective groups

Glycosyl halides are historically one of the first glycosyl donors used in glycosylation reactions, and interest in glycosylation reactions involving this class of glycosyl donors is currently increasing. New methods for their activation have been proposed and effective syntheses of oligosaccharides with their participation have been developed. At the same time, the possibilities of using these approaches to the synthesis of sialosides are restricted by the limited diversity of known sialyl halides (previously, mainly sialyl chlorides, less often sialyl bromides and sialyl fluorides, with acetyl (Ac) groups at the oxygen atoms and AcNH, Ac2N and N3 groups at C-5 were used). This work describes the synthesis of six new N-acetyl- and N-trifluoroacetyl-sialyl chlorides and bromides with O-chloroacetyl and O-trifluoroacetyl protective groups. Preparation of N,O-trifluoroacetyl protected derivatives was made possible due to development of the synthesis of sialic acid methyl ester pentaol with N-trifluoroacetyl group.

Recent Advances in Chemical Synthesis of Amino Sugars

Amino sugars are a kind of carbohydrates with one or more hydroxyl groups replaced by an amino group. They play crucial roles in a broad range of biological activities. Over the past few decades, there have been continuing efforts on the stereoselective glycosylation of amino sugars. However, the introduction of glycoside bearing basic nitrogen is challenging using conventional Lewis acid-promoted pathways owing to competitive coordination of the amine to the Lewis acid promoter. Additionally, diastereomeric mixtures of O-glycoside are often produced if aminoglycoside lack a C2 substituent. This review focuses on the updated overview of the way to stereoselective synthesis of 1,2-cis-aminoglycoside. The scope, mechanism, and the applications in the synthesis of complex glycoconjugates for the representative methodologies were also included.

Enabling Technologies in Carbohydrate Chemistry: Automated Glycan Assembly, Flow Chemistry and Data Science

The synthesis of defined oligosaccharides is a complex task. Several enabling technologies have been introduced in the last two decades to facilitate synthetic access to these valuable biomolecules. In this concept, we describe the technological solutions that have advanced glycochemistry using automated glycan assembly, flow chemistry and data science as examples. We highlight how the synergies between these different technologies can further advance the field, with progress toward the realization of a self-driving lab for glycan synthesis.

Detection and Semi-quantification of Lipids on High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography Plate using Ceric Ammonium Molybdate Staining

It is desirable to quickly check the composition of lipids in small size samples, but achieving this is challenging using the existing staining methods. Herein, we developed a highly sensitive and semi-quantitative method for analysis of lipid samples with ceric ammonium molybdate (CAM) staining. The CAM detection method was systematically evaluated with a wide range of lipid classes including phospholipids, sphingolipids, glycerolipids, fatty acids (FA) and sterols, demonstrating high sensitivity, stability, and overall efficiency. Additionally, CAM staining provides a clean yellow background in high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) which facilitates quantification of lipids using image processing software. Lipids can be stained with CAM reagent regardless of their head group types, position of the carbon-carbon double bonds, geometric isomerism and the variation in the length of FA chain, but staining is mostly affected by the degree of unsaturation of the FA backbone. The mechanism of the CAM staining of lipids was proposed on principles of the reduction-oxidation reaction, in which Mo(VI) oxidizes the unsaturated lipids into carbonyl compounds on the HPTLC plate upon heating, while itself being reduced to Mo(IV). This method was applied for the separation, identification, and quantification of lipid extracts from porcine brain.