Abstract: The compounds of the present invention relate to chain-extended and chain-modified analogues of salacinol, including embodiments where the sulfate moiety has been substituted with a carboxylate or phosphate moiety. In other embodiments the sulfate moiety has been shifted by one carbon atom in the zwitterionic structure. In another embodiment the polyhydroxylated side chain may be replaced with a lipophilic alkyl chain and a suitable counterion. The invention also encompasses methods for synthesizing the salacinol analogues and using the analogues for enzyme inhibition applications.

Abstract: Methods for synthesizing Salacinol, its stereoisomers, and analogues, homologues and other derivatives thereof potentially useful as glycosidase inhibitors are described. In some embodiments the compounds of the invention may have the general formula (I) or (II): The synthetic schemes may comprise reacting a cyclic sulfate with a 5-membered ring sugar containing a heteroatom (X). The heteroatom preferably comprises sulfur, selenium, or nitrogen. The cyclic sulfate and ring sugar reagents may be readily prepared from carbohydrate precursors, such as D-glucose, L-glucose, D-xylose and L-xylose. The target compounds are prepared by opening of the cyclic sulfates by nucleophilic attack of the heteroatoms on the 5-membered ring sugars. The resulting heterocyclic compounds have a stable, inner salt structure comprising a heteroatom cation and a sulfate anion. The synthetic schemes yield various stereoisomers of the target compounds in moderate to good yields with limited side-reactions.