Carbasugar Analogues of Galactofuranosides: Pseudodisaccharide Mimics of Fragments of Mycobacterial Arabinogalactan

A partially protected carbasugar analogue of beta-galactofuranose was converted into an alpha-galacto-configured 1,2-epoxide, which was opened by alcohols under Lewis acid catalysis with regioselective attack at C-1 to give beta-galacto-configured C-1 ethers. Using OH-5 and OH-6 carbagalactofuranose derivatives as nucleophiles, we synthesised pseudodisaccharide analogues of substructures of the arabinogalactan from M. tuberculosis. The dicarba analogue of the disaccharide Galf(beta 1 -> 5) Galf was found to moderately inhibit the action of GlfT2 galactofuranosyl transferase from M. tuberculosis.