p-Nitrophenyl 1,5-dithio-α- -fucopyranoside: a novel sulfur based fucosidase inhibitor

Five 5-thio-α- -fucopyranosyl derivatives were prepared and examined as inhibitors of the α- -fucosidase from bovine epididymis. The inhibitory activities of the fucosides strongly depend on the hydrophobicity of the aglycon. The best inhibition (Ki = 3.3 μM) was obtained with p-nitrophenyl 1,5-dithio-α- -fucopyranoside.