Selectively deoxygenated sulfated tetrasaccharides as probes for the investigation of smooth muscle cell antiproliferative activity

Selectively deoxygenated analogues of highly (ca. 80 %) sulfated β-maltosyl-(1→4)-α,α-trehalose were investigated to map the importance of the individual sulfates for biological activity. Single deoxygenations led to activity losses up to 30 %; the essential sulfates are located on the outer glucopyranosyl rings of the molecule.