S-Benzimidazolyl glycosides as a platform for oligosaccharide synthesis by an active-latent strategy.

Abstract

The involvement of complex carbohydrates in a wide variety of disease-related cellular processes has given this class of natural compounds tremendous diagnostic and therapeutic potential.[1] While scientists have been able to successfully isolate certain classes of natural carbohydrates, the availability of pure natural isolates is still inadequate to address the challenges offered by modern glycosciences. As a consequence, chemical glycosylation has become a viable means to obtain both natural complex carbohydrates and nonnatural analogues thereof.[2–4] Unfortunately, chemical synthesis of oligosaccharides of even moderate complexity still remains a considerable challenge, and many more complex structures are not available at all. As such, the development of efficient strategies for oligosaccharide and glycoconjugate synthesis stands out as a demanding area of research.[5]