Synthesis and glycosidase inhibition of N-substituted derivatives of DIM

Abstract

N-Substituted derivatives of DIM (1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-D-mannitol), the pyrrolidine core of swainsonine, have been synthesized efficiently and stereoselectively from D-mannose with 2,3:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene DIM (10) as key intermediate. These N-substituted derivatives include N-alkylated, N-alkenylated, N-hydroxyalkylated and N-aralkylated DIMs with the carbon number of the alkyl chain ranging from one to nine. The obtained 33 N-substituted DIM derivatives were assayed against various glycosidases, which allowed a systematic evaluation of their glycosidase inhibition profiles. Though N-substitution of DIM decreased their α-mannosidase inhibitory activities, some of the derivatives showed significiant inhibiton of other glycosidases.