Recent advances in the total synthesis of piperidine azasugars

Since the discovery of nojirimycin, a glycosidase inhibitor, polyhydroxylated piperidines (also called azasugars: the ring O-atom of a carbohydrate is replaced by nitrogen) have attracted considerable attention and have been the target of numerous synthetic strategies during the last decade. The efficient synthesis of naturally occurring azasugars and their analogs is of considerable importance due to their potential glycosidase inhibitor properties. Some of them have been widely investigated as candidates for drugs to treat a variety of carbohydrate-mediated diseases such as diabetes, viral infections, including HlV, cancer metastasis, hepatitis, and Gaucher's disease. This microreview focuses on recent syntheses of azasugars. In addition, the biology of these compounds is briefly considered. ((c) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2005).