Monosaccharide Derivatives with Low-Nanomolar Lectin Affinity and High Selectivity Based on Combined Fluorine-Amide, Phenyl-Arginine, Sulfur-pi , and Halogen Bond Interactions.
Zetterberg, F.R., Peterson, K., Johnsson, R.E., Brimert, T., Hakansson, M., Logan, D.T., Leffler, H., Nilsson, U.J.(2018) ChemMedChem 13: 133-137
- PubMed: 29194992 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cmdc.201700744
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
6EOG, 6EOL - PubMed Abstract: 
The design of small and high-affinity lectin inhibitors remains a major challenge because the natural ligand binding sites of lectin are often shallow and have polar character. Herein we report that derivatizing galactose with un-natural structural elements that form multiple non-natural lectin-ligand interactions (orthogonal multipolar fluorine-amide, phenyl-arginine, sulfur-π, and halogen bond) can provide inhibitors with extraordinary affinity (low nanomolar) for the model lectin, galectin-3, which is more than five orders of magnitude higher than the parent galactose; moreover, is selective over other galectins.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Galecto Biotech AB, Sahlgrenska Science Park, Medicinaregatan 8A, 413 46, Gothenburg, Sweden.