Iminosugars as glycosyltransferase inhibitors

Org Biomol Chem. 2021 Jun 30;19(25):5439-5475. doi: 10.1039/d1ob00382h.

Abstract

Iminosugars are naturally occurring carbohydrate analogues known since 1967. These natural compounds and hundreds of their synthetic derivatives prepared over five decades have been mainly exploited to inhibit the glycosidases, the enzymes catalysing the glycosidic bond cleavage, in order to find new drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and other diseases. However, iminosugars are also inhibitors of glycosyltransferases, the enzymes responsible for the synthesis of oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates. The selective inhibition of specific glycosyltransferases involved in cancer or bacterial infections could lead to innovative therapeutic agents. The synthesis and biological properties of all the iminosugars assayed to date as glycosyltransferase inhibitors are reviewed in the present article.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Enzyme Inhibitors* / chemical synthesis
  • Enzyme Inhibitors* / chemistry
  • Enzyme Inhibitors* / pharmacology
  • Glycosyltransferases* / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Glycosyltransferases* / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Imino Sugars* / chemical synthesis
  • Imino Sugars* / chemistry
  • Imino Sugars* / pharmacology

Substances

  • Glycosyltransferases
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Imino Sugars