Sugars epimers

Y. Ohashi, Y. Itoh, M. Kubota, K. Hamada, M. Ohashi, T. Hirano, and H. Niwa, Analysis of sugar epimers using mass spectrometry JV-acetyllactosamine-6,6 -disulfate and the 2 -epimer, Eur. J. Mass Spectrom., 10 (2004) 269-278. 

Diastereoisomers differing in configuration at one of the two or more asymmetric centers, e.g., sugars. Epimers are optically active. 

At>-7-Oxabicyclo[2.2.l]hept-5-ene-2-carboxylic acid - (84) was isolated as a minor component from the mother liquor of 29. Compound 84 is an epimer of 29 at C-2, and three known carba-sugar pentaacetates have been prepared from 84 as follows. 

PA-1 was partially hydrolyzed with O.IM TFA (40°C, 24 h) and the three fractions (PA-l-I, PA-l-II and PA-l-III) were obtained by Bio-gel P-6. Especially, about 50% of TBA-positive material (PA-l-III) was eluted in the fraction of small oligosaccharide. Permethylated oligosaccharide-alditols from PA-l-III were analyzed by GC-EIMS, and three disaccharide-alditols (IP, 2P and 3P) were detected. EI-MS and component sugar analysis suggested that the major peak, IP was Rha-(l- 5)-Kdo-ol and the minor peaks, 2P and 3P were two epimers of Araf-( l->5)-Dha. 

The extension of the salt-acid,27 phenylhydrazide,28 and amide rules29 to the derivatives of the 2-(hydroxymethyl) sugars by Schmidt and Weber-Molster30 indicated that the configuration of C2 in hamamelonic acid is the same as that of D-ribonic acid. Finally, the d-ribo configuration of the sugar was established by the synthesis of hamamelonic acid and its C2 epimer from D-ery/ftro-pentulose31 by the cyanohydrin reaction of Fischer and Kiliani. 

A different approach involving cyanohydrin formation from the 3-keto sugar was also explored in the D-Fru series (Scheme 17). A mixture of epimeric cyanohydrins was quantitatively formed by reaction with sodium cyanide in methanol, albeit without stereoselectivity. Chromatographic separation of (R)- and (A)-isomers was straightforward and the former epimer was selected to exemplify the two-step transformation into an OZT. Reduction of this nitrile by lithium aluminum hydride led to the corresponding aminoalcohol, which was further condensed with thiophosgene to afford the (3i )-spiro-OZT in ca. 30% overall yield. Despite its shorter pathway, the cyanohydrin route to the OZT was not exploited further, mainly because of the disappointing yields in the last two steps. 

The endo-spiro-OZT could be prepared through a reaction sequence similar to that applied for the exo-epimer, with spiro-aziridine intermediates replacing the key spiro-epoxides (Scheme 18). Cyanohydrin formation from ketones was tried under kinetic or thermodynamic conditions, and only reaction with the d-gluco derived keto sugar offered efficient stereoselectivity, while no selectivity was observed for reaction with the keto sugar obtained from protected D-fructose. The (R) -cyanohydrin was prepared in excellent yield under kinetic conditions (KCN, NaHC03, 0 °C, 10 min) a modified thermodynamic procedure was applied to produce the (S)-epimer in 85% yield (Scheme 18). 

Comparison of the H-NMR spectrum of tjipanazole C3 (365) with that of tjipanazole Cl (362) indicated that these two alkaloids are C-2 -epimers. Proton decoupling and NOE experiments indicated that the sugar moiety was a p-rhamnosyl unit which was attached to N-11 of 3-chloroindolo[2,3-fl]carbazole. Based on these spectral data and the structural similarity to tjipanazole Cl (362), the structure 365 was assigned to tjipanazole C3 (329) (Scheme 2.94). 

From the beginnings of imino sugar research and application, such lipophilic modifications as AA alkyl derivatives of 1-deoxynojirimycin and its relevant epimers have been prepared and their properties investigated. These amphiphilic compounds... 

Synthesis. The synthases are present at the endomembrane system of the cell and have been isolated on membrane fractions prepared from the cells (5,6). The nucleoside diphosphate sugars which are used by the synthases are formed in the cytoplasm, and usually the epimerases and the other enzymes (e.g., dehydrogenases and decarboxylases) which interconvert them are also soluble and probably occur in the cytoplasm (14). Nevertheless some epimerases are membrane bound and this may be important for the regulation of the synthases which use the different epimers in a heteropolysaccharide. This is especially significant because the availability of the donor compounds at the site of the transglycosylases (the synthases) is of obvious importance for control of the synthesis. The synthases are located at the lumen side of the membrane and the nucleoside diphosphate sugars must therefore cross the membrane in order to take part in the reaction. Modulation of this transport mechanism is an obvious point for the control not only for the rate of synthesis but for the type of synthesis which occurs in the particular lumen of the membrane system. Obviously the synthase cannot function unless the donor molecule is transported to its active site and the transporters may only be present at certain regions within the endomembrane system. It has been observed that when intact cells are fed radioactive monosaccharides which will form and label polysaccharides, these cannot always be found at all the membrane sites within the cell where the synthase activities are known to occur (15). A possible reason for this difference may be the selection of precursors by the transport mechanism. 

With respect to five-membered lactones fused to hexopyranose units, some approaches have been reported so far and the exploitation of their synthetic potential has led to the access of new carbohydrate derivatives. Bicyclic derivatives of this type are key intermediates in the synthesis of the epimer at C-3 of the sugar moiety contained in miharamycins [212, 213]. The latter are antibiotics known to inhibit strongly Pyricularia oryzae, which produces the rice blast disease. These compounds are also considered to be a potential bioterrorism agent (Scheme 42). Hence, the 3,3-spiroepoxide 176 was converted into the 3-C-cyanomethyl derivative 177, the hydrolysis of which led to spontaneous cyclization in the presence of... 

Enantiomerically pure nitrile imines (211) have also been generated by the lead tetraacetate oxidation of aldehydo sugar p-nitrophenyl hydrazones. Reaction with methyl acrylate gave the pyrazolines as a 1 1 mixture of the (55) and (5R) epimers, which were resolvable in some cases (116). 

---