Glycosylation inhibitors in biology and medicine.

Glycosidase inhibitors are moving increasingly out of the laboratory and into the clinic as potential agents for the treatment of diseases including diabetes, AIDS and cancer. These compounds, originally isolated from natural sources and utilized for unraveling the glycosylation pathways involved in post-translational modification of glycoproteins, have multiple effects that are only now being fully appreciated. In addition to their ability to inhibit processing exoglycosidases, lysosomal glycosidases and the intestinal disaccharidases involved in carbohydrate digestion, these compounds appear to have additional activities, including immunomodulatory properties and inhibition of glycolipid synthesis, which continue to expand their range of potential uses.