生理活性糖脂質ガングリオシドの系統的化学合成

抄録

Among the biologically active glycolipids, much attention is now focused on gangliosides because of their newly discovered involvement in cell growth, differentiation, adhesion, oncogenesis, and so on. Gangliosides are structurally heterogenous molecules, composed of a glycan chain containing sialic acid (s) and a hydrophobic ceramide. They are located as very minor constituents on the plasma membrane of almost all mammalian cells. In order to elucidate the structure-function relationships at the molecular level, the syntheses of a variety of gangliosides, including their derivatives and analogs, are of absolute necessity. This article describes the systematic chemical syntheses of gangliosides with a special reference to our methods. Also, some analyses of biological functions and biomedical applications are discussed.