Mechanism-based inhibition of carbohydrate-mediated biological recognitions

Abstract

Carbohydrates are often associated with specific biological recognition, targeting and signalling processes that play important roles in both normal and disease states. The efforts of many groups have been directed toward the synthesis of complex saccharides and saccharide mimics in the hope of understanding these recognition processes and developing effective agents for their intervention. As compared to research with other classes of biomolecules, however, the pace of major advances in glycobiology and development of carbohydrate-based therapeutics has been relatively slow, due to a combination of factors including the complexity of glycans in natural systems and a lack of facile synthetic techniques and analytical methods available for carbohydrate-related research. This review discusses some of the most recent developments in the field, with particular emphasis on the use of combined chemical and enzymatic approaches for the synthesis of saccharides and mimetics. Some of the highlights include the studies of selectin–carbohydrate and aminoglycoside–RNA interactions, and the synthesis and evaluation of inhibitors of glycoprocessing enzymes.