Human Acid β-Glucosidase Inhibition by Carbohydrate Derived Iminosugars: Towards New Pharmacological Chaperones for Gaucher Disease

A collection of carbohydrate-derived iminosugars belonging to three structurally diversified sub-classes (polyhydroxylated pyrrolidines, piperidines, and pyrrolizidines) was evaluated for inhibition of human acid beta-glucosidase (glucocerebrosidase, GCase), the deficient enzyme in Gaucher disease. The synthesis of several new pyrrolidine analogues substituted at the nitrogen or a-carbon atom with alkyl chains of different lengths suggested an interpretation of the inhibition data and led to the discovery of two new GCase inhibitors at sub-micromolar concentration. In the piperidine iminosugar series, two N-alkylated derivatives were found to rescue the residual GCase activity in N370S/RecNcil mutated human fibroblasts (among which one up to 1.5-fold). This study provides the starting point for the identification of new compounds in the treatment of Gaucher disease.