AU2002225564A1 - New inhibitors against galectins - Google Patents

Description

NEW INHIBITORS AGAINST GALECTINS

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to novel compounds, the use of said compounds as a medicament and for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of any disorder relating to the binding of a galectin to receptors in a mammal. The invention also relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising said novel compounds . Background Art The galectins are a family of proteins defined by shared sequence elements and by affinity for β- galactosides (Barondes et al . , 1994). There are now ten known mammalian galectins (Fig.l), but biochemical analysis of tissues as well as the accumulation of partial DNA sequences from expressed sequence tags (ESTs) suggest that there are many more (Cooper and Barondes, 1999). Galectins occur at high concentration (usually 0.- 1% of total soluble cell protein) in a limited range of cell types, different for each galectin. All galectins bind lactose and other β-galactosides, but they differ in their affinity for more complex saccharides (Leffler and Barondes, 1986, Barondes et al . , 1994) . This suggests that galectins may play a role in decoding the information in complex carbohydrates at the cell surface and in the extracellular matrix. A review of the data up to 1999 is given by Leffler (2001) . By cross- linking cell-surface and extracellular glycoproteins (e.g. laminin, integrins, and IgE receptors) , extracellular galectins are known to modulate cell adhesion and induce intracellular signals. By the adhesion modulation, galectins may play roles in maintenance of tissue integrity and in cancer metastasis. By the signaling activity, galectins may induce a variety of responses including apoptosis in T-lymphocytes,

knock-out mice of Mac-2BP, a galectin-3 ligand, have increased inflammatory responses (Trahey et al . , 1999). Inflammation is a protective response of the body to invading organisms and tissue injury. However, if unbalanced it also frequently is destructive and occur as part of the pathology in many diseases . Because of this there is great medical interest in pharmacological modulation of inflammation. A galectin-3 inhibitor is expected to provide an important addition to the arsenal available for this.

Treatment of septic shock.

The idea of a possible role of galectin-3 in septic shock comes from our own studies (Almquist et al . , 2001) . Briefly the argument goes as follows. It is known that septic shock involves dissemination of bacterial lipopolysaccharide into the blood stream, and that the pathological effects of this are mediated via neutrophil leukocytes (Karima et al . , 1999). LPS does not activate the tissue damaging response of the neutrophil . Instead it primes the neutrophil, so that it is converted from unresponsive to responsive to other, presumably endogenous, activators. In septic shock this priming happens prematurely in the blood stream. Endogenous activators could then induce the tissue damaging response in the wrong place and time. Several candidates have been proposed as these endogenous activators, including TNF- alfa. Inhibitors of these have been used in treatment schemes without much success (Karima et al . , 1999). Since our own studies indicate that galectin-3 is a good candidate as an endogenous activator of primed neutrophils (Almquist et al . , 2001), galectin-3 inhibitors may be very useful in septic shock. Treatment of cancer.

There is a whole other body of evidence suggesting that induced expression of galectin-3 (and perhaps other galectins) promote tumour growth and/or metastasis (reviewed by Leffler, 2001) . The evidence is on one hand correlatory -- more galectin in more malignant tumours. The direct evidence comes from animal models , mainly by Raz et al, but also others. In paired human tumour cell lines (with decreased or increased expression of galectin-3) , the one with more galectin-3 gives more tumours and metastasis in nude mice (Bresalier et al . , 1998) . A polysaccharide, which inhibits galectin-3 can inhibit tumours in vivo (Pienta et al . , 1995). Although there may be different explanations for the effects of galectin-3, inhibition of its activities is expected to be beneficial in cancer.

Galectin-1 and galectin-9 have been shown to induce apoptosis in activated T-cells. Also, galectin-1 is frequently over-expressed in low differentiated cancer cells, and galectin-9 (or its relatives galectin-4 and galectin-8) is expressed in certain cancer types. Hence, these galectins might help the tumour to defend itself against the immune response raised by the host (Perillo et al . , 1998; Leffler, 2001). Inhibitors of the galectin would be expected to block such an effect and thereby be useful in cancer treatment . Known inhibitors Natural ligands.

Solid phase binding assays and inhibition assays have identified.a number of saccharides and glycoconjugates with the ability to bind galectins (reviewed by Leffler, 2001) . All galectins bind lactose with Ka of 0,5 - 1 mM. The affinity of D-galactose is 50 - 100 times lower. N- Acetyllactosamine and related disaccharides bind about as well as lactose but for certain galectins up to 10 times better. The best small saccharide ligands for galectin-3 were those carrying blood group A-determinants attached to lactose or lacNAc-residues and were found to bind up to about 50 times better than lactose. Galectin-1 shows no preference for these saccharides.

Larger saccharides of the polylactosamine type have been proposed as preferred ligands for galectins . In solution using polylactosamine carrying glycopeptides, there was evidence for this for galectin-3 but not galectin-1 (Leffler and Barondes, 1986) . A modified plant pectin polysaccharide has been reported to bind galectin- 3 (Pienta et al . , 1995).

The above described natural saccharides that have been identified as galectin-3 ligands are not suitable for use as active components in pharmaceutical compositions, because they are susceptible to acidic hydrolysis in the stomach and to enzymatic degradation. In addition, natural saccharides are hydrophilic in nature and are not readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract following oral administration. Synthetic inhibitors. Thiodigalactoside is known to be a synthetic inhibitor approximately as efficient as N- acetyllactosamine (Leffler and Barondes, 1986) . Saccharides coupled to amino acids with anti-cancer activity were first identified as natural compounds in serum, but subsequently synthetic analogues have been made (Glinsky et al . , 1996). Among them, those with lactose or Gal coupled to the amino acid inhibits galectins but only with about the same potency as the corresponding underivatized sugar. A divalent form of a lactosyl-amino acid had higher potency in a solid phase assay (Naidenko et al . , 2000) . Starburst dendrimers (Andre et al , 1999) and glycopolymers (Pohl et al, 1999) , made polyvalent in lactose-residues, have been described as galectin-3 inhibitors with marginally improved potency as compared to lactose. The aforementioned synthetic compounds that have been identified as galectin-3 ligands are not suitable for use as active components in pharmaceutical compositions, because they are hydrophilic in nature and are not readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract following oral administration.

Dendrimers and glycopolymers are too large to be absorbed and large enough to produce immune responses in patients . Furthermore, dendrimers and glycopolymers are susceptible to acidic hydrolysis in the stomach and to enzymatic hydrolysis.

Thus, there is a considerable need within the art of inhibitors against galectin, in particularly to galectin 3. Summary of the invention

Therefore, the present invention relates to a compound having the general formula (I) :

wherein the configuration of the pyranose ring is D-galacto; X is selected from the group consisting of O, S, NH, CH₂, and NR⁴, or is a bond;

Y is selected from the group consisting of NH, CH₂, and NR⁴, or is a bond;

R¹ is selected from the group consisting of: a) a saccharide; b) hydrogen, an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an aryl group, a heteroaryl group, and a heterocycle; R² is selected from the group consisting of CO, S0₂, SO, PO, and P0 ;

R³ is selected from the group consisting of; a) an alkyl group of at least 4 carbon atoms, an alkenyl group of at least 4 carbon atoms , an alkyl or alkenyl group of at least 4 carbon atoms substituted with a carboxy group, an alkyl group of at least 4 carbon atoms substituted with both a carboxy group and an amino group, and an alkyl group of at least 4 carbon atoms substituted with a halogen; or b) a phenyl group, a phenyl group substituted with a carboxy group, a phenyl group substituted with at least one halogen, a phenyl group substituted with an alkoxy group, a phenyl group substituted with at least one halogen and at least one carboxy group, a phenyl group substituted with at least one halogen and at least one alkoxy group, a phenyl group substituted with a nitro group, a phenyl group substituted with a sulfo group, a phenyl group substituted with an amine group, a phenyl group substituted with a hydroxy group, a phenyl group substituted with a carbonyl group and a phenyl group substituted with a substituted carbonyl group; or c) a phenyl amino group;

R⁴ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an aryl group, a heteroaryl group, and a heterocycle . The present invention also relates to a compound according to above mentioned formula for use as a medicament .

Still further the present invention relates to the use of a compound according to above mentioned formula for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of any disorder relating to the binding of a galectin to receptors in a mammal .

Yet further the present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound according to above mentioned formula as active ingredient together with a pharmaceutically acceptable adjuvant, diluent, excepient or carrier.

Yet further the present invention relates to a method for inhibiting conditions associated with the binding of galectin to receptors in a mammal which method comprises administering to said mammal an effective amount of a compound according to above mentioned formula .

Still further the present invention relates to a method for inhibiting conditions associated with the binding of galectin to receptors in a mammal which method ω ω t ISJ μ> μ*

LΠ o LΠ o LΠ o LΠ

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In the implementation of this strategy the innovative selection of certain chemical additions to the 3 ' -amino LacNAc, described below, resulted in surprisingly potent inhibitors of galectin-3. Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1. Schematic picture of galectins. The typical 15 kDa carbohydrate binding domains are filled and other domains are unfilled or hatched (reviewed by Barondes et al., 1994, and by Leffler, 2001). Fig. 2. A) Structure of galectin-3 CRD (shown as smooth surface) with bound LacNAc (stick model) and extended binding site indicated (white semitransparent arrow) . The structure with bound LacNAc is from Seethara an et al . (1998) . Major interacting amino acid residues are indicated by black arrows and text . Sugar residues are indicated by grey text (Gal = galactose, Nag = N-acetylglucosamine) . The white semitransparatnt arrow points through the extended binding site at the 3 -OH of Gal which is the site of modification discussed in the present invention. B) Schematic of inhibitors based on the strategy in this invention.

Fig. 3. Screening experiment. Percent inhibition of a Galα3Galβ4GlcNAcβ trisacchari.de :horseradish peroxidase conjugate binding to galectin-3 coated microwells at 40 μM inhibitor concentration.

Fig. 4. Determination of IC₅₀ values of inhibitors 16, 18, 19 and 25 with competitive inhibition of a Galα3Galβ4GlcNAcβ trisaccharide :horseradish peroxidase conjugate binding to galectin-3 coated microwells. Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

According to one aspect of the invention a compound of above mentioned formula comprises a saccharide (R^saccharide) , which sacharide is selected from the group consisting of glucose, mannose, galactose, N- acetylglucosamine, N-acetylgalactosamine, fucose, fructose, xylose, sialic acid, glucoronic acid, iduronic acid, a disaccharide or an oligosaccharide comprising at least two of the above saccharides, and derivatives thereof. Any other saccharide known to a person skilled within the art may obviously be used as an alternative to the above mentioned saccharides.

In another aspect of the invention, in the above mentioned formula, Y is NH, X is O and said halogen is selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br and I. Preferably said halogen is F. In the present disclosure the term "alkyl group" is meant to comprise from 1 to 12 carbon atoms. Said alkyl group may be straight or branched chain. Said alkyl group may also form a cycle comprising from 3 to 12 carbon atoms . In the present disclosure the term "alkenyl group" is meant to comprise from 1 to 12 carbon atoms. Said alkenyl group comprises at least one double bond.

In the present disclosure the term "aryl group" is meant to comprise from 4 to 18 carbon atoms. Said aryl group may be a phenyl group or a naphtyl group.

In the present disclosure the term "alkoxy group" is meant to comprise from 1 to 12 carbon atoms. Said alkoxy group may be a methoxy group or an ethoxy group .

In the present disclosure the term "alkylamino group" is meant to comprise from 1 till 12 carbon atoms.

In the present disclosure the term "aryla ino group" is meant to comprise from 4 to 12 carbon atoms. Said "arylamino group" may be aniline, carboxylated aniline or halogenated aniline. In the present disclosure the term "heteroaryl group" is meant to comprise from 4 to 18 carbon atoms, wherein at least one atom of the ring is a heteroatom, i.e. not a carbon. Preferably said heteroatom is N, O or S. Said heteroaryl group may be a pyridine, a pyrrole, a furan or a thiophene .

In the present disclosure the term "heterocycle" is meant to comprise from 1 to 12 carbon atoms in a ring structure, wherein at least one of the atoms in the ring is a heteroatom, i.e. not a carbon. Preferably said heteroatom is 0, S or N.

The above mentioned groups may naturally be substituted with any other known substituents within the art of organic chemistry. The groups may also be substituted with two or more of the substituents . Examples of substituents are halogen, alkoxy, nitro, sulfo, amine, hydroxy, and carbonyl groups. In yet another aspect of the invetion said compound is methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3- [3-carboxypropan- amido] -3-deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl) -β-D-glucopyranoside (14), methyl 2~acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0~ (3- [{z} -3-carboxy- propena ido] -3 -deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl) - β-D-gluco- pyranoside (15), methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3- benzamido-3-deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl) -β-D-glucopyranoside (16), methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3- [2- carboxybenzamido] -3 -deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl) -β-D- glucopyranoside (17), methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3- [4-methoxy-2, 3,5, 6-tetrafluorobenzamido] -3 -deoxy-β-D- galactopyranosyl) -β-D-glucopyranoside (18), methyl 2- acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3- [2-carboxy-3 ,4,5, 6-tetrafluorobenzamido] -3-deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl) -β-D-glucopyranoside (19) , methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3-methane- sulfonamido-3-deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl) -β-D-glucopyranoside (20), methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3- [4- nitrobenzenesulfonamido] -3-deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl) -β- D-glucopyranoside (21) , methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3-phenylaminocarbonylamino-3-deoxy-β-D-galacto- pyranosyl) -β-D-glucopyranoside (22), methyl 2-acetamido- 2-deoxy-4-0- (2 -aminoacetamido-3-deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl) -β-D-glucopyranoside (23), methyl 2-acetamido- 2-deoxy-4-0- (3- [{2S} -2-amino-3-carboxy-propanamido] -3- • deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl) -β-D-glucopyranoside (24) . Preferably said compound is methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4- 0- (3 -benzamido-3-deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl) -β-D- glucopyranoside (16), methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3- μ- Hi Oi Ω ø 0 3 O ! ti 0 3 φ 3 ø Ti ø ø 0 H rt rt μ- μ- Oi ra

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IC₅₀ : Inhibitor concentration that causes 50% inhibition of galectin-3 activity in a defined assay below. K_reι : Ratio of IC₅₀value of the reference compound methyl 4-0-β-D-galactopyranosyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D- glucopyranoside 25 and of IC₅₀value of an inhibitor. ΔΔG : -RTlnK_rel (kJ/mol) Synthesis of the starting material

As starting material for the synthesis of novel 3'- amino derivatives of .W-acetyllactosamine 12-24 was used methyl 4-0- (2 , 4 , 6-tri-0-acetyl-3-azido-3-deoxy-β-D- galactopyranosyl) -2-acetamido-6-0-acetyl-2-deoxy-3-0- stearoyl-β-D-glucopyranoside 10, which was prepared from 1,2,4, 6-tetra-0-acetyl-3-azido-3-deoxy-D-galactopyranose 4 (Lowary and Hindsgaul, 1994) and methyl 2-deoxy-2- tetrachlorophthalimido-β-D-glucopyranoside 6 (Stangier and Hindsgaul, 1996) following methods well known to one skilled in the art (Scheme 1) . Compound 10 carries a masked 3' -amino group in the form of an azide, as well as a 3-O-stearoyl group to allow purification with C18 solid-phase extraction.

Scheme 1 Scheme 1 . a) MeSSiMe₃ , TMSOTf , (CH₂C1 ) ₂ , 1 days , 86% . b) AcCl , s-collidine , CH₂C1₂ , -20 ° C , 7 h, 75% . c) NIS , TfOH , CH₂C1₂, MS AW-300, -42° C, 2 h, 75%. d) ^N (CH₂) ₂NH₂ , EtOH, 60° C, 7.5 h, then ^i:LMeOH^', H₂0, Ac₂0, 12 h, 83%. e) C₁₇H₃₆C0C1, DMAP, Pyridine, CH₂C1₂, 24 h, 80%. Synthesis of the 3 -amino derivatives of N- acetyllactosamine 12-24.

Reduction of the azido group in methyl 4-0- (2 , 4 , 6-tri- O-acetyl-3 -azido-3 -deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl) -2- acetamido-6-0-acetyl-2 -deoxy-3 -O-stearoyl-β-D- glucopyranoside 10 was accomplished by catalytic hydrogenation in ethanol/HCl over Pd/C to give methyl 4- O- (2,4, 6-tri-0-acetyl-3-amino-3-deoxy-β-D- galactopyranosyl) -2 -acetamido- 6-0-acetyl-2 -deoxy-3-0- stearoyl-β-D-glucopyranoside 11, which was immediately treated with reagents for amide, sulfonamide and urea formation using methods well known to one skilled in the art (Table 1) . Removal of protecting groups according to methods well known to those skilled in the art yielded the 3' -amino derivatives of N-acetyllactosamine 12-24. TABLE 1. Parallel synthesis and spectroscopic data of 3^{^}- amino N-acetyl -lactosamine library (12-24) .

TABLE 1 , Parallel synthesis and spectroscopic data of 3 '-arrώio N-acetyl-lactosamine library (12-24),

TABLE 2. Relationship between compounds 1 -24 and the general structure in claim 1 :

Screening against galectin-3.

Compounds 12-24 were screened for efficiency in inhibiting galectin-3 binding to a natural receptor (Figure 3). Compounds 16-19 containing different 3'- benzamide functionalities, showed unexpected high efficiency (55-89% inhibition at 40 μM) as compared to the known reference inhibitor methyl 4-O-β-D- galactopyranosyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranoside 25 (13% inhibition at 40 μM) . Other inhibitors were similar (0.7-30% inhibition at 40 μM) to the reference 25. These results were confirmed in an unrelated assay based on fluorescence polarization. Determination of IC₅₀ values.

IC₅₀ values of the three best inhibitors, 16, 18-19, identified from screening experiments, and the reference inhibitor 25 were determined by inhibition of galectin-3 with serial dilutions of the inhibitors (Figure 4) . Fluorinated benzamides were up to 41 times as efficient as the known reference inhibitor 25. Compound 18 has an IC₅₀ value of 4.8 μM, which is unprecedented in the field of monovalent galectin-3 inhibitors (Table 3) . X-Ray crystallography of the galectin-3 : 18 complex show that the increased affinity for 18 originates in a stacking interaction between the fluorinated benzamide group at C- 3 ' of 18 and argl44 of galectin-3. This beneficial stacking interaction is enabled by an unpredictable move of the arg-144 side-chain by approximately 2.6 A, as compared to the parent reference galectin-3 :25 complex. The unexpectedly high inhibitor potency of 16-19 against galectin-3 renders them suitable as active components in pharmaceutical compositions targeting conditions where galectin-3 plays a pathogenic role. In addition, the unnatural substitutents at C-3 of the galactose residue of compounds 16-19 are expected to improve hydrolytic stability and to improve absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. Table 3

IC₅₀ (μM) Krel

16 23 9

18 4.8 41

19 ii.: 2 18

25 199 1

Methodol< Dgy/Experimental

General isyntheitic procedures

The compounds of this invention may be prepared by the following general methods and procedures. The galectin-3 assays of this invention may be performed by the following general methods and procedures. It should be appreciated that where typical or preferred process conditions (e.g. reaction temperatures, times, molar ratios of reactants, solvents, pressures, pH etc) are given, other process conditions may also be used unless otherwise stated. Optimum reaction conditions may vary with the particular reactants, solvents used and pH etc., but such conditions can be determined by one skilled in the art by routine optimization procedures.

NMR-spectra were recorded with a Bruker DRX-400 instrument. Chemical shifts are given in ppm, with reference to internal CHC1₃ (δ 7.26 ppm) or HDO (δ 4.81 ppm) . Chemical shifts and coupling constants were obtained from ^"H-NMR and proton resonances were assigned from COSY experiments. High-resolution FAB mass spectra (HRMS) were recorded with a JEOL SX-120 instrument. MALDI-TOF Spectra were recorded with a Bruker, Biflex instrument . Column chromatography was performed on Si0₂ (Matrex, 60 A, 35-70 μm, Grace Amicon) and TLC was carried out on Si0 60 F₂₅₄ (Merck) with detection under UV light and developed with aqueous sulfuric acid. Concentrations were made using rotary evaporation with bath temperature at or below 40° C. CH₂C1₂ and CH₃CN were dried by distillation from CaH₂. Pyridine was dried over 4 A molecular sieves. DMF was distilled and dried over 4 A molecular sieves. MeOH and EtOH were dried over 3A molecular sieves . Microwell plates were from Nalge Nunc International (Nunc-i muno plate, maxisorp surface) . PBS containing 0.05% Tween 20 is abbreviated PBS-T and PBS-T containing 1% BSA is abbreviated PBSA-T. Recombinant human galectin-3 was produced in Escherichia coli and purified as previously described (S.M. Massa et al, 1993) . The Galα3Galβ4GlcNAcβ-HRP conjugate (HRP-2) was from Glycorex AB, LUND, SWEDEN. Microwell plates were developed with a TMB-peroxidase substrate kit (BioRad 172-1066) according to the manufacturers recommendations. Synthesis of starting material 10 (Scheme 1) . Methyl 3 -azido-3 -deoxy-2 , 4, 6- tri -O -acetyl -l - thio-β-D- galactopyranoside (5) . To a solution of 4 (Lowary and Hindsgaul, 1994) (231 mg, 0.619 mmol) , (methylthio) trimethylsilane (0.250 mL, 1.76 mmol), and molecular sieves AW-300 (0.46 g) in 1, 2-dichloroethane (3.0 mL) was added trimethylsilyltrifluromethane sulfonate (0.102 mL, 0.564 mmol) under nitrogen atmosphere. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 7 days, aqueous Na₂C0₃ (5%, 5 mL) was added, and the mixture was stirred for another 2 hours. The organic layer was separated, washed with water, dried over NaS0 , filtered, and concentrated. The residue was chromatographed (Si0₂, 2:1 heptane-ethylacetate) to give 5 (192 mg, 86%), [α] _D ²⁵ -34.8° (c 1.0, CHC1₃) . ^Η-NMR data (400MHz, CDC1₃) δ5.45(dd, 1H, J=3.4, 1.2 Hz, H-4) , 5.22 (t, 1H, ι7=10.0 Hz, H-2), 4.36 (d, 1H, J=9 .8 Hz, H-l), 4.15-4.07 (m, 2H, H-6, 6 " ) , 3.91 (dt, 1H, J=6 . 6 , 1.2 Hz, H-5) , 3.66 (dd, 1H, J=10.2, 3.4 Hz, H-3), 2.19, 2.17, 2.15 (3 s, 3H each, Ac), 2.06 (s, 3H, Me). HRMS calc. for C₁₃H₁₉N₃Na0₇S (M+Na) : 384.0841; found: 384.0837. Methyl 6-0-acetyl -2-deoxy-2- tetrachlorophthalimido-β-D- glucopyranoside (7) . To compound 6 (Stangier and Hindsgaul, 1996) (653 mg,1.42 mmol) and sym-collidine (0.940 mL, 7.09 mmol) in CH₂C1₂ (25 mL) under nitrogen atmosphere at -42° C, was added dropwise acetyl chloride (0.115 mL, 1.62 mmol) . The reaction was continued at -20° C for 4 hours, then additional acetyl chloride (0.025 mL, 0.352 mmol) and sym-collidine (0.400 mL, 3.0 mmol) were added. The reaction was quenched with MeOH (8ml) after 3 more hours. The reaction mixture was partitioned between CH₂C1₂ and aqueous HCl (0.5 M) . The organic layer was neutralized with aqueous saturated NaHC0₃, dried over Na₂S0₄, filtered, and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue was chromatographed (Si0₂, 1:1 heptane- ethylacetate) to give 7 (535 mg, 75%), [α] _D ²⁵ -18.4° (c 1.0, CHC1₃) . ^Η-NMR data (400MHz, CDC1₃) , δ 5.04 (d, 1H,

J^"=8.5 Hz, H-l), 4.45 (dd, 1H, .7=11.9, 2.2 Hz, H-6) , 4.27 (dd, 1H, =11.9, 5.5 Hz, H-6'), 4.19 (dd, 1H, J=10.7, 8.7 Hz, H-3), 3.93 (dd, 1H, J^"=10.7, 8.5 Hz, H-2) , 3.63-3.58 (m, 1H, H-5) , 3.44-3.41 (m, iH, H-4) , 3.39 (s, 3H, 0_Me) , 2.09 (s, 3H, Ac). HRMS calc. for C₁₇Hι₅Cl₄NNa0₈ (M+Na) : 523.9449; found: 523.9447.

Methyl 4 -0- (2, 4, 6- tri -0-acetyl -3 -azido-3 -deoxy-β-D- galactopyranosyl) -6-0-acetyl-2 -deoxy-2- tetrachlorophthalimido-β-D-glucopyranoside (8) . Compounds 5 (66.1 mg, 0.183 mmol), 7 (76.9 mg, 0.153 mmol), and activated molecular sieves AW-300 (0.35 g) were stirred in dry CH₂C1₂ (5.0 mL) for 30 minutes with under nitrogen atmosphere. The mixture was cooled to -42° C and N- iodosuccinimide (51.2 mg, 0.228 mmol) was added followed by trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (2.0 μL, 22.6 μmol). The reaction mixture was allowed to reach room temperature after 2 hours, filtered, and diluted with CH₂C1₂. The organic layer was washed with 10% aqueous Na₂S₂0₃, dried over MgS0 , filtered, and concentrated. The residue was chromatographed (Si0₂, 2:1 heptane-ethylacetate) to give

8 (93.9 mg, 75 %) , [ ]_D ^2Ξ +7.6° (c 1.0, CHCI₃) . ^XH-NMR data (400MHz, CDC1₃) δ5.36(d, IH, J=3.1 Hz, H-3), 5.15 (q, IH, .7=10.6, 7.9 Hz, H-2), 5.10 (d, IH, .7=8.5 Hz, H-l'), 4.52 (d, IH, J=7.9 Hz, H-l)., 4.35-4.29 (m, IH, H-3'), 4.28 (d, IH, J=1.3 Hz, H-4'), 4.06-4.14 (m, 3H, H-6, 2', 6'), 3.88- 3-99 (m, 2H, H-5, 6), 3.70 (m, IH, H-5'), 3.59 (q, IH, Hz, H-6'), 3.42 (S, 3H, OMe) , 2.15, 2.13, 2.12, 1.90 (4 s, 3H each, Ac). HRMS calc. for C₂₉H₃₀Cl₄N₄NaO₁₅ (M+Na): 837.0359; found: 837.0374.

Methyl (2, 4, 6- tri -0-acetyl -3 -azido-3 -deoxy-β-D- galactopyranosyl) -2 -acetamido- 6-0 -acetyl -2- deoxy- β-D- glucopyranoside (9) . Dry diaminoethane (18 μL) was added to a solution of 8 (133 mg, 0.152 mmol) in dry EtOH (13 mL) . The mixture was heated at 60° C for 7.5 hours then co-concentrated with toluene (5 mL) . The residue was dissolved in MeOH (15 mL) , H₂0 (3 L) , and Ac₂0 (4.5 mL) , stirred over night, then co-concentrated with toluene (20 mL) . The residue was chromatographed (Si0₂, 1:1 toluene- acetone) to give 9 (70.6 mg, 83%), [α] _D ²⁵ +1.6° (c 0.03, CHC1₃) . ^-NMR data (400MHz, CDC1₃) δ (d, IH, J= 7.8 Hz, NH) , 5.40 (d, IH, ^"=3.3 Hz, H-4'), 5.17 (dd, IH, J= 10.6, 8.0 Hz, H-2'), 4.62 (d, IH, = 8.3 Hz, H-l), 4.54 (d, IH, J= 8.0 Hz, H-l'), 4.34-4.31 (m, 2H, OH, H-6), 4.18 (dd, IH, J= 10.7, 3.7 Hz, H-6'), 4.09-3.93 (m, 4H, H-6, 5', 3, 6'), 3.62-3.57 (m, 2H, H-5, 3'), 3.48 ^"(a, 3H, OMe), 3.51- 3.44 (m, 2H, H-4, 2), 2.17, 2.16, 2.11, 2.06, 2.01 (5 s, 3H each, Ac) . HRMS calc. for C₂₃H₃₄NNaOι (M+Na) : 613.1969; found: 613.1972.

Methyl 4-0- (2 , , 6 - tri -0 -acetyl -3 -azido-3 -deoxy-β-D- galactopyranosyl) -2 -acetamido- 6- -acetyl -2 -deoxy- 3 -0- stearoyl -β-D-glucopyranoside (10) . To a solution of 9

(65.9 mg, 0.112 mmol), pyridine (0.45 mL) and DMAP (cat.) in dry CH₂C1₂ (10 mL) under nitrogen atmosphere, was added stearoyl chloride (0.160 mL, 0.475 mmol) at -78° C. The mixture was allowed to reach room temperature, then quenched with EtOH (2 mL) after 24 hours and concentrated. The residue was chromatographed (Si0₂, 3:1 toluene-acetone) to give 10 (75.8 mg, 79%), [ ]_D ²⁵ -16.4° (c 1.0, CHCI3) . ^XH-NMR data (400MHz, CDC1₃) δ 5.72 (d, IH, 3.3 Hz, H-4'), 5.07-5.02 (m, 2H, H-2', 3), 4.46 (dd, IH, .7=11.9, 8.9 Hz, H-6), 4.44 (d, IH, J=7.9 Hz, H-l'), 4.33 (d, IH, .7=7.2 Hz, H-l), 4.19 (dd, IH, .7=11.9, 5.4 Hz, H-6), 4.08-4.03 (m, 3H, H- 2, 6', 6') , 3.85-3.82 (m, IH, H-5') , 3.74 (t, IH, .7=8.1 Hz, H-4) , 3.66-3.61 (m, IH, H-5') , 3.58 (dd, IH, J=10.6, 3.4 Hz, H-3') , 3.44 (s, 3H, OMe) , 2.28 (t, 2H, J=7.6 Hz, -COCH₂-) , 2.14, 2.12, 2.11, 2.06, 1.95 (5 s, 3H, Ac) , 1.51-1.64 (m, 2H, -COCH₂CH₂-) , 1.23 (bs, 28H, -CH₂-) ,

0.88-0.85 (m, 3H, CH₃) . HRMS calc. for C₄₁Hs₈N₄Na0₁₅ (M+Na) :

879.4579; found: 879.4596.

Synthesis of inhibitors 12-24 (Table 1 above) .

The galectin-3 inhibitors 12-24 of this invention are typically prepared by reaction of a methyl 4-0- (2,4,6- tri-O-acetyl-3-amino-3 -deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl) -2- acet ido-6-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-3-0-stearoyl-β-D- glucopyranoside 11 with carboxylic acid halides, anhydrides, sulfonyl halides, isocyanates or amino acid derivatives according to examples A and B below: Example A:

Typical procedure for acylations and sulfonylations (Synthesis of compounds 12-22). To a solution of 10 (29.0 mg, 38.8 μmol) in EtOH (degassed, 20 mL) , was added 1M HCl (0.34 mL, 0.34 mmol) and Pd/C (10%, 33.5 mg) . The mixture was hydrogenated (H₂, 1 atm) for 20 minutes, filtered through Celite, and concentrated without heating to give the crude intermediate amine 11, which was immediately used without further purification. The crude 11 was dissolved in dry CH₂C1₂ (10 mL) . Pentafluorobenzoyl chloride (49 μL, 0.34 mmol) and pyridine (15 μL, 0.19 mmol) were added under nitrogen atmosphere. The reaction was monitored by TLC and the reaction mixture was concentrated when 11 was consumed. The residue was dissolved in 70% MeOH and applied onto C18 silica (3 g) .

Excess reagents and impurities were washed away with 70% MeOH, whereafter elution with 100% MeOH gave a protected intermediate (31.2 mg, 90%) after concentration. The residue was dissolved in MeOH (4.0 mL) and 1 M NaOMe (0.6 mL) was added. The reaction was continued overnight and then neutralized with Duolite C436 (H⁺) resin, filtered, and concentrated. The residue was dissolved in water and applied onto C18 silica (3 g) . Excess reagents and impurities were washed away with water, whereafter elution with 30% MeOH gave 18 (16.5 mg, 92%) . The products were characterized with ¹H-nmr spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF and HRMS-FAB mass spectrometri (Table 1) . Example B:

Typical procedure for acylation wi th amino acids (Synthesis of compounds 23 and 24) . To a solution of 10 (11.3 mg, 13.2 μmol) in EtOH (degassed, 20 mL) , was added 1M HCl (0.135 mL, 0.135 mmol) and Pd/C (10%, 12.0 mg) . The mixture was hydrogenated (H₂, 1 atm) for 20 minutes, filtered through Celite, and concentrated without heating to give the crude intermediate amine 11, which was immediately used without further purification. A solution of N-Boc-glycine (9.0 mg, 51.4 μmol) in dry CH₂C1₂ (8 mL) was added to the crude 11 under nitrogen atmosphere, followed by N, JW'-diisopropylcarbodiimide (10 μL, 64.6 μmol) and pyridine (15 μL, 0.19 mmol) . The reaction was kept at room temperature overnight then co-concentrated with toluene under reduced pressure. The residue was dissolved in 70% MeOH and applied onto C18 silica (3 g) . Excess reagents and impurities were washed away with 70% MeOH, whereafter elution with 100% MeOH gave a protected intermediate (13.1 mg, quantitative) after concentration. To the residue in dry CH₂C1₂ (5.0 mL) was added TFA (0.5 mL) . The reaction was co-concentrated with toluene (15 mL) after 5 hours and the residue was purified by C-18 solid-phase extraction as described above. The residue was dissolved in MeOH (4.0 mL) and NaOMe (0.6 mL, 1 M) was added and the reaction was left overnight, neutralized with Amberlite IR-120 (H⁺) resin, filtered, and concentrated. The residue was dissolved in water and applied onto C18 silica (3 g) and elution with water gave 23 (4.1 mg, 84%). The products 23 and 24 were characterized with ^xH-nmr spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF and HRMS-FAB mass spectrometry (Table 1) . Inhibition of galectin-3 binding to Galα3Galβ4GlcNAcβ-HRP conjugate

The compounds prepared above (12-24) were tested for their ability to inhibiting the binding of galectin-3 to a Galα3Galβ4GlcNAcβ trisaccharide :horseradish peroxidase conjugate .

Screening experiments . Microtiter plate wells were coated with recombinant galectin-3 (10 μg/ml, 50 μl/well) from E. coli at 4 ° C overnight, then washed three times with PBS-T. The wells were blocked with PBSA-T (100 μl/well) for 1 hour at room temperature, followed by washing with PBS-T. Compounds 12-25 (100 μL/well, 0.2 and 0.04 mM in PBS-T) , were added in duplicate to the wells, followed by Galα3Galβ4GlcNAcβ-HRP conjugate (100 μL/well, 1 mg/mL in PBSA-T) . The wells were washed with PBS-T after 1 hour incubation at room temperature, followed by development with the TMB-peroxidase substrate kit. The reaction was stopped after 60 min by addition of IN sulfuric acid (100 μL/well) and optical density was read at 450 nm. Each experiment was conducted twice with each sample in duplicate. The pH of all the compound stock solutions were checked before testing and were all shown to be 7.1. IC_Ξ0 determinations for compounds 16, 18 -19 and 25. Microtiter plate wells were coated with recombinant galectin-3 (10 μg/ml, 50 μl/well) from E. coli at 4 ° C overnight, then washed three times with PBS-T. The wells were blocked with PBSA-T (100 μl/well) for 1 hour at room temperature, followed by washing with PBS-T. To the first well was added 125 μL of inhibitors 16, 18-19 and 25 (0.2 mM in PBS-T) . A five-fold serial dilution was performed by transfering 25 μL from the first well to a second well containing 100 μL PBS-T, mixing, then transfering 25 μL from the second well to a third well also containing 100 μL PBS-T, and so on to the eight well from which 25 μL were discarded. The dilution series was done in duplicate. Only PBS-T (100 μL) was added to one column of wells (in order to give the OD in the absence of inhibitor) , as well as to one column of well not coated with galectin-3 (in order to give the background signal) .

To each well was then added Galα3Galβ4GlcNAcβ-HRP conjugate (100 μL/well, 1 mg/mL in PBS-T) . Incubation, washing, and detection was performed as described above.

The data was analyzed with non-linear regression analysis using the program Kaleidagraph™ from Synergy Software. The results of this assay evidenced that the compounds

16-19 inhibited binding of galectin-3 to Galα3Galβ4GlcNAcβ-HRP conjugate with IC₅₀-values less than

50 μM.

From the foregoing description, various modifications and changes in the composition and method will occur to those skilled in the art. All such modifications coming within the scope of the appended claims are intended to be included therein.

Examples of the in vivo efficacy of galectin-3 inhibition in inflammation and cancer.

Inflammation. As mentioned above many studies suggest a role of galectin-3 in enhancing the inflammatory response. For example the addition of galectin-3 to neutrophil leukocytes from an inflammatory site, or primed by exposure to LPS, results in increased generation of toxic oxygen radicals. Lactose can inhibit this response (Karlsson et al . , 1998; Almquist et al . , 2001). In another study (Sano et al . , 2000), galectin-3 was found to be chemotactic to macrophages and monocytes both in vi tro and in vivo. Either lactose or the isolated CRD of galectin-3 (galectin 3C) ,. able to bind the same saccharide receptor as galectin-3 but not cross link it (see below), acted as inhibitors of this response. The substances described in the present invention would be much more effective as inhibitors of the above mentioned responses than lactose because ^• they are much more potent galectin-3 inhibitors. They would also be much more usable in vivo than lactose and the galectin-3C because they are small molecules, more hydrophobic and probably more stable to degradation.

Cancer.

As mentioned above, several studies of models of human cancer in mice indicate that enhanced expression of galectin-3 results in faster tumor growth and more metastasis (Bresalier et al . , 1998; reviewed by Leffler, 2001) . Injection of a saccharide with inhibitory potency to galectin-3, but perhaps also other proteins, was reported to diminish prostate cancer .in rat (Pienta et al . , 1995). Hence, potent small molecule inhibitors of galectin-3 are expected to have similar anticancer effects as galectin-3C.

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Glinsky, G. V., Price, J. E., Glinsky, V. V., Mossine, V. V., Kiriakova, G. , Metcalf, J. B. (1996) Inhibition of human breast cancer metastasis in nude mice by synthetic glycoamines . Cancer Res . 56:5319-5324. Helland, A.-C, Hindsgaul, 0., Palcic, M. M. , Stults, C. L. M. , Macher, B. A. (1995) Methyl 3 -amino-3 -deoxy- β-D-galactopyranosyl- (1-4) -2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D- glucopyranoside : an inhibitor of UDP-D-galactose : β- D-galactopyranosyl- (1-4) -2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D- glucose (1-3) -α-D-galactopyranosyltransferase . Carbohydr. Res . 276:91-98. Hsu, D. K. , Yang, R. Y. , Pan, Z., Yu, L., Salomon, D. R. , Fung-Leung, . P., Liu, F. T. (2000) Targeted disruption of the galectin-3 gene results in attenuated peritoneal inflammatory responses. Am. J^". Pathol . 156:1073-1083.

Karima, R. , Matsumoto, S., Higahsi, H., Matsushima, K.

(1999) The molecular pathogenesis of Endotoxic Shock and Organ Failure. Molecular Medicine Today 5:123- 132. Karlsson, A., Follin, P, Leffler, H. , Dahlgren, C. ( 1998) Galectin-3 activates the NADPH-oxidase in exudated but not peripheral blood neutrophils. Blood 91:3430-3438. Leffler, H. and Barondes, S. H. (1986) Specificity of binding of three soluble rat lung lectins to substituted and unsubstituted mammalian beta- galactosides. J. Biol . Chem. 261:10119-10126. Leffler, H. Galectins Structure and Function -- A

Synopsis in Mammalian Carbohydrate Recognition Systems (Crocker, P. ed.) Springer Verlag, Heidelberg, 2001 pp. 57 - 83. Lobsanov, Y. D. and Rini , J. M. (1997) Galectin

Structure. Trends . Glycosci . Glycotech . 45:145-154. Lowary, T. L. and Hindsgaul, 0. (1994) Recognition of synthetic O- ethyl , epimeric, and amino analogues of the acceptor α-L-Fucp- (1-2) -β-D-Galp-OR by the blood-group A and B gene-specified glycosyltransferases-. Carbohydr. Res . 251:33-67. Massa, S. M. , Cooper, D. N. . , Leffler, H. , Barondes, S. H. (1993) L-29, an endogenous lectin, binds to glycoconjugate ligands with positive cooperativity . Biochemistry 32; 260-267. Naidenko, O., Kronenberg, M. , Glinsky, G. , and Huflejt, M.E. (2000) Interaction of galectins with low molecular weight lactosylaminoconjugates . Glycobiology 10:abstract 60. Perillo, N. L., Marcus M. E., and Baum, L. G. (1998)

Galectins: versatile modulators of cell adhesion, cell proliferation, and cell death. J^". Mol . Med . 76:402-412. Pienta, K. J., Naik, H., Akhtar, A., Yamazaki, K. ,

Replogle, T. S., Lehr, J. , Donat, T. L., Tait, L. , Hogan, V., Raz, A. (1995) Inhibition of spontaneous metastasis in a rat prostate cancer model by oral administration of modified citrus pectin. J^". Natl . Cancer Ins t . 87:348-353

Pohl, N. L. and Kiessling, L. L. (1999) Scope of multivalent ligand function: Lactose-bearing neoglycopolymers by ring-opening metathesis polymerization. Synthesis 1515-1519. Sano, H. , Hsu, D. K. , Yu, L., Apgar, J. R. , Kuwabara, I., Yamanaka, T., Hirashima, M. , Liu, F. T. (2000) Human galectin-3 is a novel chemoattractant for monocytes and macrophages. J^". Immunol . 165:2156-2164. Seetharaman, J. , Kanigsberg, A., Slaaby, R. , Leffler, H., Barondes, S. H. , Rini , J. M. (1998) X-ray crystal structure of the human galectin-3 carbohydrate recognition domain at 2.1-A resolution. J. Biol . Chem . 273:13047-13052. Stangier, P. and Hindsgaul, O. (1996) Solid-Phase Transimidation for the Removal of W-Phthalimido- and JV-Tetrachlorophthalimido Protecting Groups on Carbohydrates. Synlett 179-181. Trahey, M. and Weissman, I. L. (1999) Cyclophilin C- associated protein: a normal secreted glycoprotein that down-modulates endotoxin and proinflammatory responses in vivo. Proc . Natl . Acad . Sci . U S A 96:3006-3011.

Claims (15)

1. A compound having the general formula (I) :

wherein the configuration of the pyranos.e ring is D-galacto; X is selected from the group consisting of O, S, NH, CH₂, and NR⁴, or is a bond;

Y is selected from the group consisting of NH, CH₂, and NR⁴, or is a bond;

R¹ is selected from the group consisting of: c) a saccharide; d) hydrogen, an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an aryl group, a heteroaryl group, and a heterocycle; R² is selected from the group consisting of CO, S0₂, SO, PO, and P0₂;

R³ is selected from the group consisting of; a) an alkyl group of at least 4 carbon atoms, an alkenyl group of at least 4 carbon atoms, an alkyl or alkenyl group of at least 4 carbon atoms substituted with a carboxy group, an alkyl group of at. least 4 carbon atoms substituted with both a carboxy group and an amino group, and an alkyl group of at least 4 carbon atoms substituted with a halogen; or b) a phenyl group, a phenyl group substituted with a carboxy group, a phenyl group substituted with at least one halogen, a phenyl group substituted with an alkoxy group, a phenyl group substituted with at least one halogen and at least one carboxy group, a phenyl group substituted with at least one halogen and at least one alkoxy group, a phenyl group substituted with a nitro group, a phenyl group substituted with a sulfo group, a phenyl group substituted with an amine group, a phenyl group substituted with a hydroxy group, a phenyl group substituted with a carbonyl group and a phenyl group substituted with a substituted carbonyl group; or c) a phenyl amino group;

R⁴ is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an aryl group, a heteroaryl group, and a heterocycle .

2. A compound according to claim 1, wherein said saccharide (R¹) is selected from the group consisting of glucose, mannose, galactose, N-acetylglucosamine, N- acetylgalactosamine, fucose, fructose, xylose, sialic acid, glucoronic acid, iduronic acid, a disaccharide or an oligosaccharide comprising at least two of the above saccharides, and derivatives thereof.

3. A compoound according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein Y is NH.

4. A compound according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein X is 0.

5. A compound according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein said halogen is selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br and I.

6. A compound according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein said compound is methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3- [3-carboxypropanamido] -3 -deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl) - β-D-glucopyranoside (14) , methyl 2 -acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3- [{z} -3-carboxypropenamido] -3-deoxy-β-D- galactopyranosyl) - β-D-glucopyranoside (15), methyl 2- acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3-benzamido-3-deoxy-β-D- galactopyranosyl) -β-D-glucopyranoside. (16), methyl 2- acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3- [2-carboxybenzamido] -3-deoxy-β- D-galactopyranosyl) -β-D-glucopyranoside (17), methyl 2- acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3- [4-methoxy-2 ,3,5,6- tetrafluorbenzamido] -3-deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl) -β-D- glucopyranoside (18) , methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3- [2-carboxy-3,4, 5, 6-tetrafluorbenzamido] -3-deoxy-β-D- galactopyranosyl) -β-D-glucopyranoside (19), methyl 2- acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3 -methanesulfonamido-3-deoxy-β-D- galactopyranosyl) -β-D-glucopyranoside (20) , methyl 2- acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3- [4-nitrobenzenesulfonamido] -3- deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl) -β-D-glucopyranoside (21) , methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3- phenylaminocarbonylamino-3-deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl) -β- D-glucopyranoside (22) , methyl 2 -acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3-aminoacetamido-3-deoxy-β-D-galactopyranosyl) -β-D- glucopyranoside (23), methyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-4-0- (3- [{2S} -2-amino-3-carboxy-propanamido] -3 -deoxy-β-D- galactopyranosyl) -β-D-glucopyranoside (24) .

7. A compound according to any one of claims 1-6, for use as a medicament.

8. Use of a compound according to any one of claims 1-6, for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of any disorder relating to the binding of a galectin to receptors in a mammal .

9. Use according to claim 8, wherein said galectin is galectin 3.

10. Use according to claim 8 or 9, wherein said disorder is selected from the group consisting of inflammation, septic shock, cancer, autoimmune diseases, reumatoid artrit and multipel schlerosis.

11. A pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound according to any one of claims 1-6 as active ingredient together with a pharmaceutically acceptable adjuvant, diluent, excepient or carrier.

12. A pharmaceutical composition according to claim 11, comprising from 1 to 99 weight % of a pharmaceutical- ly acceptable adjuvant, diluent, excepient or carrier and from 1 to 99 weight % of a compound according to any one of claims 1-6.

13. A method for inhibiting conditions associated with the binding of galectin to receptors in a mammal which method comprises administering to said mammal an effective amount of a compound according to any one of claims 1-6.

14. A method for inhibiting conditions associated with the binding of galectin to receptors in a mammal which method comprises administering to said mammal an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition according to claim 11 or 12.

15. A method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein said galectin is galectin 3.