Highly efficient stereoselective synthesis of d-erythro-sphingosine and d-lyxo-phytosphingosine

Stereoselective Synthesis of β-Amino Ynones by the Addition of Alkynones to Nonracemic Sulfinimines: Formal Total Synthesis of l-Xylo and l-Arabino Phytosphingosines

The addition of silyl enol ethers obtained from ynones to sulfinimines furnished the corresponding β-sulfinamido ynones in a very good yield and diastereoselectivity. The formed ynones serve as precursors amenable for the synthesis of bioactive compounds. This has been illustrated in the synthesis of l-xylo and l-arabino phytosphingosines.

Asymmetric routes toward polyhydroxylated pyrrolidines: Synthesis of 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-d-galactitol and 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-d-glucitol

Herein the total synthesis of the pyrrolidine alkaloids 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-d-galactitol and its diastereoisomer 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-d-glucitol is described, starting from a common optically active precursor. The key step in our approach was the double diastereoselection in the asymmetric dihydroxylation of chiral vinyl azido alcohols, obtained by means of two different regio- and stereoselective nucleophilic openings of the corresponding chiral vinyl epoxide.

A substrate-driven approach to determine reactivities of α,β-unsaturated carboxylic esters towards asymmetric bioreduction

The degree of C=C bond activation in the asymmetric bioreduction of α,β-unsaturated carboxylic esters by ene-reductases was studied, and general recommendations to render these "borderline-substrates" more reactive towards enzymatic reduction are proposed. The concept of "supported substrate activation" was developed. In general, an additional α-halogenated substituent proved to be beneficial for enzymatic activity, whereas β-alkyl or β-aryl substituents were detrimental for the reactivity of nonhalogenated substrates, and α-cyano groups showed little effect. The alcohol moiety of the ester functionality was found to have a strong influence on the reaction rate. Overall, activities were determined by both steric and electronic effects.

Asymmetric bioreduction of activated alkenes to industrially relevant optically active compounds

Ene-reductases from the ‘Old Yellow Enzyme’ family of flavoproteins catalyze the asymmetric reduction of various α,β-unsaturated compounds at the expense of a nicotinamide cofactor. They have been applied to the synthesis of valuable enantiopure products, including chiral building blocks with broad industrial applications, terpenoids, amino acid derivatives and fragrances. The combination of these highly stereoselective biocatalysts with a cofactor recycling system has allowed the development of cost-effective methods for the generation of optically active molecules, which is strengthened by the availability of stereo-complementary enzyme homologues.

Highly stereocontrolled and regiocontrolled syntheses of 2,3,4-trisubstituted alkanoates and lactones

New chlorodiols (±)-3 and (±)-5 are densely functionalized and versatile synthons. They are converted in one step on a gram scale into 2-chlorolactones (±)-6 and (±)-7 and into 4-hydroxy glycidate esters (±)-9 and (±)-10. The 4-hydroxy glycidate esters (±)-9 and (±)-10 are converted stereospecifically and regiospecifically into oxazolines (±)-13 and (±)-14 and into cyclic carbamates (±)-18-(±)-20. The 4-hydroxy glycidate ester (±)-10 undergoes stereocontrolled and regiocontrolled epoxide opening by sodium azide to form the 2-azido-3,4-dihydroxy alkanoate (±)-21. Finally, chlorodiol (±)-5 reacts stereospecifically with silver triflate to form the 2,3-dihydroxyfuranone (±)-26.

A facile synthesis of D-ribo-C(20)-phytosphingosine and its C2 epimer from D-ribose

A facile synthetic route to d-ribo-C(20)-phytosphingosine 31 and its C2 epimer 32 is described. The Overman rearrangement of allylic trichloroacetimidates derived from the known ribose derivative 7 has been used as the key step. The subsequent functional group interconversions in rearranged products 14 and 15 followed by Wittig olefination, Pd/C-mediated reduction and the removal of protecting groups successfully constructed the final molecules.

Synthesis of truncated analogues of the iNKT cell agonist, α-galactosyl ceramide (KRN7000), and their biological evaluation

Stimulation of iNKT cells by α-galactosyl ceramide (α-GalCer), also known as KRN7000, and its truncated analogue OCH induces both Th1- and Th2-cytokines, with OCH inducing a Th2-cytokine bias. Skewing of the iNKT cells' response towards either a Th1- or Th2-cytokine profile offers potential therapeutic benefits. The length of both the acyl and the sphingosine chains in α-galactosyl ceramides is known to influence the cytokine release profile. We have synthesized analogues of α-GalCer with truncated sphingosine chains for biological evaluation, with particular emphasis on the Th1/Th2 distribution. Starting from a common precursor, d-lyxose, the sphingosine derivatives were synthesised via a straightforward Wittig condensation.

A general and concise asymmetric synthesis of sphingosine, safingol and phytosphingosines via tethered aminohydroxylation

A novel, practical and efficient enantioselective synthesis of sphingoid bases, l-threo-[2S,3S]-sphinganine (safingol), l-threo-[2S,3S]-sphingosine, l-arabino-[2R,3S,4R] and l-xylo-[2R,3S,4S]-C(18)-phytosphingosine is described. The synthetic strategy features the Sharpless kinetic resolution and tethered aminohydroxylation (TA) as the key steps.

High-yielding synthesis of sphingoid-type bases

An efficient methodology for the synthesis of sphingoid-type bases is reported. It involves the stereoselective addition of a racemic 3-alkoxy allenylzinc to enantiopure N-tert-butylsulfinyl imines and a cross-metathesis reaction as the key steps. It has been successfully applied to the syntheses of sphinganine and naturally occurring bioactive related compounds, among which the hydrolysis product of clavaminol H and two spisulosines. All of these compounds have been prepared in six steps from N-tert-butylsulfinyl imines in high overall yields (>56%).

An efficient and general enantioselective synthesis of sphingosine, phythosphingosine, and 4-substituted derivatives

A general and efficient protocol for the enantioselective synthesis of sphingosine, phythosphingosine, and 4-substituted derivatives was established. These compounds were obtained from a common intermediate prepared from butadiene monoepoxide by a synthetic sequence involving enantioselective allylic substitution, cross-metathesis, and dihydroxylation.

Design, synthesis, and structure-affinity relationships of novel series of sialosides as CD22-specific inhibitors

Sialosides incorporating substituted amides or amines at 9-position of sialic acid moiety have been synthesized and evaluated as CD22 inhibitors. Several derivatives exhibited inhibitory potency in sub- to low micromolar range (e. g., 8o, 9d, 9g, and 9k showed IC 50 values 0.40, 0.47, 0.24, and 0.23 microM, respectively, for hCD22, while 8p, 8q, and 9f, showed IC 50 values 1.70, 2.90, and 4.10 microM, respectively, for mCD22). The most significant result was the strongly enhanced affinity of 9g and 9k containing 9-(2' or 4'-hydroxy-4-biphenyl) methylamino substituents (600-fold more potent for hCD22 than the corresponding 9-hydroxy derivative; 7a). Molecular modeling study was carried out to get some insights into the molecular basis of CD22 inhibition. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic structure-affinity relationship study on inhibition of CD22.

Thermotropic liquid crystalline glycolipids

Are the liquid crystalline properties of the materials of living systems important in biological structures, functions, diseases and treatments? There is a growing consciousness that the observed lyotropic, and often thermotropic liquid crystallinity, of many biological materials that possess key biological functionality might be more than curious coincidence. Rather, as the survival of living systems depends on the flexibility and reformability of structures, it seems more likely that it is the combination of softness and structure of the liquid-crystalline state that determines the functionality of biological materials. The richest sources of liquid crystals derived from living systems are found in cell membranes, of these glycolipids are a particularly important class of components. In this critical review, we will examine the relationship between chemical structure and the self-assembling and self-organising properties of glycolipids that ultimately lead to mesophase formation.

A concise synthesis of a promising protein kinase C inhibitor: D-erythro-sphingosine

In this study, we explored a convenient and concise route for synthesis of D-erythro-sphingosine 1 from commercially available and cheap L-serine. The key steps are simple preparation of amino ketone 5 from Weinreb amide 3 and high diastereoselective reduction of amino ketone 5 to give the natural erythro-(anti-) isomer.