Polyhydroxylated pyrrolidine inhibitors

Similar strategies have been used for the synthesis (286) of the tetrahydro-pyrrolizidine 323 from 2,3 5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-D-g/yccroD-ta/o-hep-tono-1,4-lactone (322). These polyhydroxylated pyrrolidines and pyrrolizi-dines are potential specific inhibitors of glycosidases. The stereochemistry of the hydroxyl groups have a profound effect on the selectivity of the inhibition (286-288). 

Heteroatom-substituted carbohydrates are efficiently assembled by the enzymatic aldol condensation of DHAP with an appropriately appended aldehyde. Iminocyclitols that are inhibitors of glycosidases, such as deoxynojirimycin and deoxymannojirimycin, are simply prepared by condensation of azo-substituted aldehydes under the FDP protocol followed by dephosphorylation and palladium mediated reductive animation (Scheme 5.18a).39 In addition a number of polyhydroxylated pyrrolidines that are efficient glucosidase inhibitors have been synthesized by this chemo-enzymatic strategy (Scheme 5.18 ).1" 30,40 If the palladium mediated hydrogenation is done in the presence of hydrochloric acid, an amino-sugar intermediate is formed as its hydrochloride salt. Treatment with base then forms polyhydroxylated imines, instead of iminocyclitols (Scheme 5.19).41... 

The plant alkaloid castanospermine 155 and the related piperidine alkaloid 1-deox-ynojirimicin 160, like several other polyhydroxylated octahydroindolizidines, piperidines and pyrrolidines, are potent glycosidase inhibitors. These nitrogen bases are of considerable interest for the study of biosynthetic processes and, in addition, castanospermine and some of its derivatives may be of clinical value as antineo-plastic agents and as drugs in the treatment of AIDS. 

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