Synthetic glycoamines and methods for their use that affect cell adhesion, inhibit cancer cell metastasis, and induce apoptosis

摘要

A class of molecules and methods that alter cell adhesion, inhibit cancer metastasis, and induce apoptosis. A method according to the present invention comprises bringing cells into contact with compounds that essentially consist of an amino acid linked to a carbohydrate wherein the amino acid and the carbohydrate are linked to form a compound chosen from the group consisting of Schiff bases, N- glycosides, esters, and Amadori products. The carbohydrate is preferably a monosaccharide or a small oligosaccharide. The carbohydrate and amino acid sub-units may be chemically modified. For example, the amino acid may be modified by covalently bonding other groups to the amino group, carboxyl group, or side chain group of the amino acid. The carbohydrate sub-unit is preferably a pentose such as arabinose, xylose, ribose, ribulose, a hexose such as fructose, deoxyfructose, galactose, glucose, mannose, tagatose, rhamnose, or a disaccharide based on two of the above such as maltose, lactose, maltulose, or lactulose.