Design and synthesis of new amino-modified iminocyclitols: selective inhibitors of alpha-galactosidase.

A new and short synthesis of hitherto unreported stereo analogue of amino-modified five-membered iminocyclitols from readily available tri-O-benzyl-D-glucal is described. Significantly, glycosidase inhibition studies of alkylamino substituted iminocyclitols display a high degree of selectivity towards alpha-galactosidase.