An alternative synthesis of O-(2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-(1→4)-N-acetylnormuramoyl-L-α-aminobutanoyl-D-isoglutamine

Synthesis of 2-Amino-2-deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl-(1→4)-2-amino-2-deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosides: Using Various 2-Deoxy-2-phthalimido-D-galactopyranosyl Donors and Acceptors

A systematic study is presented of the efficiency of the most common glycosylation methods using standard 2-deoxy-2-phthalimidogalactopyranosyl donors ethyl 4-O-acetyl-3,6-di-O- benzyl-2-deoxy-2-phthalimido-1-thio-β-D-galactopyranoside (3a), 4-O-Acetyl-3,6-di-O-benzyl- 2-deoxy-2-phthalimido-β-D-galactopyranosyl bromide (4), 4-O-acetyl-3,6-di-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-2-phthalimido-β-D-galactopyranosyl fluoride (5b), O-(4-O-acetyl-3,6-di-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-2-phthalimido-β-D-galactopyranosyl) trichloroacetimidate (7) and ethyl 3,6-di-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-2-phthalimido-1-thio-β-D-galactopyranoside (8), pent-4-enyl 3,6-di-O-benzyl- and 3-O-allyl-6-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-2-phthalimido-β-D-galactopyranoside (10a) and (10b) and pent-4-enyl 3,6-di-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-2-phthalimido-4-O-(trimethylsilyl)-β-D-galactopyranoside (11) as glycosyl acceptors in the synthesis of 2-amino-2-deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl-(1→4)-2-amino-2-deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosides 12, 16a and 17a. It was found that due to a low reactivity of the axial OH(4) group of glycosyl acceptors, disaccharides 16b and 17b with α(1→4) bond were also formed. The unexpected intermolecular migration of ethylsufanyl group from the reducing end of glycosyl acceptor 8 the reducing end of the activated form of glycosyl donor 4 in the glycosylation step to give ethylsulfanyl derivative 3a was proved. For preparation of the glycosyl donors and glycosyl acceptors with galacto configuration an approach based on epimerization of 4-O-mesyl derivatives of appropriate synthons with gluco configuration 2a and 2b was employed.

Synthesis of an orthogonally protected precursor to the glycan repeating unit of the bacterial cell wall

[reaction: see text]. A synthesis of stereochemically pure and orthogonally protected N-acetyl-(2-deoxy-2-aminoglucopyranosyl)-beta-[1,4]-N-acetylmuramyl (NAG-NAM) monopeptide (2), the glycopeptide core of lipid II and of the bacterial cell wall repeating unit, is reported.

Stimulation of nonspecific immunity, haemopoiesis and protection of mice against radiation injury by 1-adamantylamide-l-alanyl-d-isoglutamine incorporated in liposomes

1-Adamantylamide-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine (adamantylamide dipeptide (AdDP)) belongs to a group of desmuramyl muramyl peptide derivatives which are able to protect an organism from some viral infections. Encapsulation of AdDP to egg phosphatidyl choline liposomes and the targeting of this drug to lymphatic node macrophages via subcutaneous (s.c.) administration proved to be the efficient way to protect mice against irradiation when administered s.c., 24 h prior to lethal gamma-irradiation (long-term survival rate in the range of 40% compared with 0% in saline or free drug control). Parameters characteristic for the recovery of haemopoiesis in the bone marrow (number of granulocyte-macrophage haemopoietic progenitor cells, granulocyte-macrophage colony forming cells (GM-CFC)) were significantly improved in comparison with the controls and free drug on day 10 after 6.5 Gy irradiation. The haemopoietic effect was observed in the broad application time window (72 h before and 48 h after irradiation). Very high radioprotective effect of s.c. administered liposomal AdDP (L-AdDP) can be explained (together with induction of haemopoiesis) by the effective and long-lasting activation of nonspecific immunity, which withholds the onset of septicemia in early days after irradiation. Induction of nonspecific immunity was proven in Candida albicans infectious model. L-AdDP significantly increased both the survival time and score (about 40% survival compared with 0% in controls and free drug). In conclusion, L-AdDP could be therapeutically beneficial to moderate the haemopoietic damage (undesirable effect of radiotherapy or chemotherapy) and induce the non-specific immunity to support the antimicrobial treatment of immunocompromised patients.

Spectroscopy and photosensitization of sapphyrins in solutions and biological membranes

A spectroscopic and photophysical study of three new sapphyrin molecules is presented. The sapphyrin backbone that was derivatized to make them water soluble possesses an absorption band around 700 nm, a desired property for biological photosensitization. We studied the absorption and fluorescence spectra, from which evidence for aggregation in solvents of different polarities was obtained. The extent of aggregation is correlated with the nature of the attached moiety. The absolute quantum yields of singlet oxygen production were measured, with 1,3-diphenyl isobenzofuran as a model target, and were 0.13-0.18 in ethanol. The binding constants to liposomes and to cells were determined spectroscopically and were found to correspond to the hydrophobicities of the compounds, with an additional effect, ascribed to the sugar moiety, which was found in the case of one of the sapphyrins. The efficiency of photodamage to Staphylococcus aureus by sapphyrins and hematoporphyrin was equivalent, on the basis of cells killed per microgram of sensitizer in the incubation mixture.

Synthesis of O-[2-acetamido-2-deoxy-6-O-stearoyl- and -6-O-(2-tetradecylhexadecanoyl)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-(1-->4)-N- acetylnormuramoyl-L-alpha-aminobutanoyl-D-isoglutamine, lipophilic disaccharide analogues of MDP

Silver triflate-promoted condensation of 3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-2- phthalimido-beta-D-glucopyranosyl bromide (1) with benzyl 2-acetamido-6-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-3-O- (methoxycarbonyl)methyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside (4) afforded the key compound, benzyl 2-acetamido-6-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-3-O- (methoxy-carbonyl)methyl-4-O-(3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-2-phthalimido-b eta-D- glucopyranosyl)-alpha-D-glucopyranoside (5), which after deprotection was transformed into acid 10. Condensation of 10 with the benzyl ester of L-alpha-aminobutanoyl-D-isoglutamine and deisopropylidenation of the product 11 afforded the benzyl ester of N-(2-O-[benzyl 2-acetamido-4-O-(2-acetamido-3-O-benzyloxymethyl-2- deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-6-O-benzyl-2,3-dideoxy-alpha-D-glucopyra nosid-3- yl]glycoloyl)-L-alpha-aminobutanoyl-D-isoglutamine (12). Partial O-acylation of 12 and hydrogenolysis of protecting groups gave the 6-O-stearoyl- and 6-O-(2-tetradecylhexadecanoyl)-disaccharide-dipeptides 17 and 18, respectively. Pyrogenicity and adjuvant activity in cell-mediated immunity are reported.