First synthesis and antiprotozoal activities of divinyl sulfone-modified carbohydrates

Divinyl sulfone-modified carbohydrates have been synthesized for the first time by reacting easily available carbohydrate epoxides with thioethanol in a regiospecific fashion. One of the modified divinyl sulfones initiated significant cell death in Entamoeba species and the influence of the anomeric configurations on the biological activities of these sugar-derived divinyl sulfones has been highlighted. The most active compound in this series was found to be devoid of any toxicity.