AUTOMATED SOLID-PHASE SYNTHESIS OF OLIGOSACCHARIDES

By Daniel Palacios April 23, 2007 INTRODUCTION Three main classes of biopolymers are present within the human body: polypeptides, oligonucleotides and oligosaccharides. Of the three, understanding of the rich and varied roles played by oligosaccharides in living systems remains the most incomplete. Reliable access to pure oligosaccharides in quantities suitable for biophysical studies remains a major barrier to our growing knowledge of these fascinating biomolecules. Oligosaccharides are present in very low concentrations in biological systems, making their isolation from natural sources difficult and laborious. Therefore, the production of oligosaccharides is entrusted to a small community of highly specialized synthetic organic chemists in contrast to polypeptides and oligonucleotides, the syntheses of which are routine and usually automated. The need for a simple, dependable method for the synthesis of highly complex oligosaccharides by nonspecialist would therefore revolutionize our understanding of complex oligosachharides. Scheme 1. A general glycosidation reaction