Design and Synthesis of Glycosylated Aromatic Nitrogen Mustard Derivatives

Antibody-directed enzyme prodrug therapy(ADEPT) is a new strategy for the treatment of cancer that has arisen in recent twenty years, the main merits of which are that it can improve the selectivity of anticancer drugs and reduce the side effects in remote tissue. In the present study, two prodrugs-glycosylated aromatic nitrogen mustard derivatives were synthesized. Glucose and lactose were converted into glycosyl donors-trichloroacetimidate; the obtained glycosyl donors were glycosylated with p-nitrophenol(glycosyl donors) to form β-glucosyl p-nitrobenzene and β-lactosyl p-nitrobenzene that were protected by acetyl in a stereoselective manner; the two products were reduced by zinc dust and then treated with ethylene oxide, afforded two glycosylated nitrogen mustard derivatives that were protected by acetyl; the last step was to deacetylate and then afforded the two target compounds that could be used as prodrugs of ADEPT for further Anti-tumor research.