Lipase-catalyzed synthesis of fatty acid esters of trisaccharides

Abstract

Carbohydrate fatty acid esters have a broad spectrum of applications in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. The enzyme-catalyzed acylation is significantly more selective than the chemical process and is carried out at milder conditions. Compared with mono- and disaccharides, the acylation of trisaccharides has been less studied. However, trisaccharide esters display notable bioactive properties, probably due to the higher hydrophilicity of the sugar head group. In this chapter, we describe the acylation of two trisaccharides, maltotriose and 1-kestose, catalyzed by different immobilized lipases, using vinyl esters as acyl donors. To illustrate the potential of such compounds, the antitumor activity of 6″-O-palmitoyl-maltotriose is shown.