Iminosugars form undoubtedly the most attractive of carbohydratemimics reported so far. In these structures, the substitution ofthe endocyclic oxygen of sugars by a basic nitrogen atom leads toremarkable biological properties and raises many challenges inorganic synthesis. Since the discovery of their biological activityas glycosidase inhibitors in the 1970's, these polyvalentmolecules have progressively made their way from the laboratory tothe clinic.
The impressive series of discoveries in the field over the pastten years indicates clearly that it is "a boom time"for iminosugar chemistry and biology. The scope of their profile asinhibitors has been extended to a number of enzymes such asphosphorylases, glycosyltransferases or metalloproteinases, andiminosugars now constitute lead compounds for the development ofnew therapeutic agents for a wide range of diseases includingdiabetes, viral infections, lysosomal storage disorders and tumormetastasis.
Latest developments, from iminosugar synthesis to their use inclinical studies, are presented in this book, which containscontributions from over fifteen of the major chemists, biochemistsand drug developers in this rapidly expanding field. An extensivetable correlating the structures of more than 600 iminosugars oftherapeutic interest with their biological activities is alsoincluded in the book and should prove particularly useful to aidwith the design and the discovery of novel bioactivesubstances.
Iminosugars: From Synthesis to Therapeutic Applicationprovides a unique resource for academic and industrial researchersworking in the field of iminosugars and glycomimetics of biologicaland/or therapeutic interest: organic chemists, medicinal chemists,carbohydrate chemists and medical scientists.