Synthesis of Antitumor Polysaccharides

Abstract

Previously, we have synthesized several antitumor polysaccharides having D-glucopyranose, D-mannopyranose, D-ara-binofuranose, or its oligomer, as side chains of (1→3)-β-glucan, or (1→4)-β-glucan by the orthoester method as models of natural antitumor polysaccharides, such as lentinan, etc. Some of these have indicated high antitumor activity against Sarcoma 180 implanted into mice, to the same extent as the natural polysaccharides. In this report, water soluble, branched polysaccharides having L-arabinofuranose or its oligomer, L-arabinopyranose, or D-galactopyranose as side chains were synthesized, and their structures and antitumor activities were determined, in order to investigate the effect of the kind of side chains on the antitumor activity. These synthetic polysaccharides showed high antitumor activity.