Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of enantiomeric beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase inhibitors LABNAc and DABNAc as potential agents against Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff disease.

N-Acetylhexosaminidases are of considerable importance in mammals and are involved in various significant biological processes. In humans, deficiencies of these enzymes in the lysosome, resulting from inherited genetic defects, cause the glycolipid storage disorders Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases. One promising therapy for these diseases involves the use of beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase inhibitors as chemical chaperones to enhance the enzyme activity above sub-critical levels. Herein we describe the synthesis and biological evaluation of a potent inhibitor, 2-acetamido-1,4-imino-1,2,4-trideoxy-L-arabinitol (LABNAc), in a high-yielding 11-step procedure from D-lyxonolactone. The N-benzyl and N-butyl analogues were also prepared and found to be potent inhibitors. The enantiomers DABNAc and NBn-DABNAc were synthesised from L-lyxonolactone, and were also evaluated. The L-iminosugar LABNAc and its derivatives were found to be potent noncompetitive inhibitors of some beta-N-acetylhexosaminidases, while the D-iminosugar DABNAc and its derivatives were found to be weaker competitive inhibitors. These results support previous work postulating that D-iminosugar mimics inhibit D-glycohydrolases competitively, and that their corresponding L-enantiomers show noncompetitive inhibition of these enzymes. Molecular modelling studies confirm that the spatial organisation in enantiomeric inhibitors leads to a different overlay with the monosaccharide substrate. Initial cell-based studies suggest that NBn-LABNAc can act as a chemical chaperone to enhance the deficient enzyme's activity to levels that may cause a positive pharmacological effect. LABNAc, NBn-LABNAc, and NBu-LABNAc are potent and selective inhibitors of beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase and may be useful as therapeutic agents for treating adult Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases.

Asymmetric synthesis of 3-amino-4-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)pyrrolidines as potential glycosidase inhibitors.

Three diastereoisomers of 3-amino-4-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)pyrrolidine have been synthesised by a divergent route starting from trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline. Regio- and stereoselective introduction of the 3-amino and 4-hydroxyl functional groups was achieved using either a tethered aminohydroxylation reaction or by employing intra- and intermolecular epoxide-opening strategies. Preliminary biological data indicate that two of these novel amino pyrrolidines are moderate inhibitors of beta-galactosidase.

Preliminary studies on the transformation of nitrosugars into branched chain iminosugars: synthesis of 1,4-dideoxy-4-C-hydroxymethyl-1,4-imino-pentanols.

A novel promising strategy for the transformation of nitrosugars into branched pyrrolidines, based on double Henry reaction with formaldehyde followed by reductive ring closure, allowed the first enantiospecific synthesis of a 4-C-hydroxymethyl branched derivative of the well-known glycosidase inhibitor 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-pentanol. This strategy also afforded a new route to some other interesting derivatives, such as N-hydroxy, N-propyloxy, and imino derivatives, a new kind of compounds with promising biological properties. [reaction: see text].

Synthesis, glycosidase activity and X-ray crystallography of 3-amino-sugars.

The cleavage of two sugar epoxides, methyl 2,3-anhydro-alpha-D-mannopyranoside and 2,3-anhydro-alpha-D-allopyranoside, with amines is presented as a method for preparing a library of 3-amino-sugars (methyl 3-amino-3-deoxy-alpha-D-altropyranosides and methyl 3-amino-3-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranosides) as potential glycosidase inhibitors. Several of the altropyranosides were micromolar inhibitors of bovine liver beta-galactosidase and almond beta-glucosidase. X-ray crystal structures were determined for one of the methyl 3-amino-3-deoxy-alpha-D-altropyranosides, 4t, and one of the methyl 3-amino-3-deoxy-alpha-D-glucopyranosides, 6d.