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Two variants of oxidation with DMSO followed by sodium borohydride reduction have been investigated to make the synthesis of 1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-α-d-allofuranose (4) suitable for large-scale manufacturing.

In this paper we present revised and significantly improved synthetic routes to 2′-amino-LNA (locked nucleic acid). The optimal route is convergent with the synthesis of LNA monomers (“2′-oxy-LNA”) via a common intermediate obtained by a mild deacetylation for the liberation of the 2′-hydroxy group to give compound 23 without the concomitant ring closure that affords the 2′-oxy-LNA skeleton. After inversion of the stereochemistry at C2′ and triflate formation at the 2′-hydroxy group a new common intermediate 16 is obtained which gives easy access to a range of other analogues exemplified by the introduction of a sulfur nucleophile leading to the 2′-thio-LNA structure. After substitution of the triflate with azide a basic reduction affords the desired 2′-amino-LNA structure, i.e., compound 18. This new synthesis strategy towards 2′-amino-LNA improves the overall yield significantly and converges the syntheses of 2′-oxy-LNA and LNA analogues.

The first reported synthesis of 2′-amino-LNA purine nucleosides via a transnucleosidation is accomplished enabling the preparation of oligonucleotides incorporating 2′-amino-LNA with all four natural bases.

Locked nucleic acid (beta-D-LNA) monomers are conformationally restricted nucleotides bearing a methylene 2'-O, 4'-C linkage that have an unprecedented high affinity for matching DNA or RNA. In this study, we compared the in vitro and in vivo properties of four different LNAs, beta-D-amino LNA (amino-LNA), beta-D-thio LNA (thio-LNA), beta-D-LNA (LNA), and its stereoisomer alpha-L-LNA in an antisense oligonucleotide (ODN). A well-known antisense ODN design against H-Ras was modified at the 5'- and 3'-ends with the different LNA analogues (LNA-DNA-LNA gapmer design). The resulting gapmers were tested in cancer-cell cultures and in a nude-mouse model bearing prostate tumor xenografts. The efficacy in target knockdown, the biodistribution, and the ability to inhibit tumor growth were measured. All anti H-Ras ODNs were very efficient in H-Ras mRNA knockdown in vitro, reaching maximum effect at concentrations below 5 nM. Moreover, the anti-H-Ras ODN containing alpha-L-LNA had clearly the highest efficacy in H-Ras knockdown. All LNA types displayed a great stability in serum. ODNs containing amino-LNA showed an increased uptake by heart, liver, and lungs as compared to the other LNA types. Both alpha-L-LNA and LNA gapmer ODNs had a high efficacy of tumor-growth inhibition and were nontoxic at the tested dosages. Remarkably, in vivo tumor-growth inhibition could be observed at dosages as low as 0.5 mg kg(-1) per day. These results indicate that alpha-L-LNA is a very promising member of the family of LNA analogues in antisense applications.

2′-Amino-LNA phosphoramidite (10) was synthesised by means of a new strategy, which is convergent with the synthesis of 2′-oxy-LNA up until a late stage intermediate (1).

Oligonucleotides containing Locked Nucleic Acids (LNA) to various extents and at various positions were evaluated for antisense activity, RNase H recruitment, nuclease stability and thermal affinity. In this work, two different diastereoisomers of LNA were studied: the beta-D-LNA and the alpha-L-LNA (abbreviated as beta-D-LNA and alpha-L-LNA). Our findings show that the best antisense activity with 16mer gapmers containing beta-D-LNA (oligonucleotides containing consecutive segments of LNA and DNA with a central DNA stretch flanked by two LNA segments, LNA-DNA-LNA) is found with gap sizes between 7 and 10 nt. The optimal gap size is motif-dependent, and requires the right balance between gap size and affinity. Compared to beta-D-LNA, alpha-L-LNA shows superior stability against a 3'-exonuclease. The design possibilities of alpha-L-LNA were explored for different gapmers and other designs, collectively called chimeras. The placement of alpha-L-LNA in the junctions or in the flanks resulted in potent antisense oligonucleotides. Moreover, different chimeras with an alternate composition of DNA, alpha-L-LNA and beta-D-LNA were evaluated in terms of antisense activity and RNase H recruitment. Chimeras with an interrupted DNA stretch with alpha-L-LNA still recruit RNase H and show good levels of antisense activity, while the same design with beta-D-LNA results in a drop in antisense potency. Our findings indicate that alpha-L-LNA is a powerful and versatile nucleotide analogue for designing potent antisense oligonucleotides.

In this paper we present revised and significantly improved synthetic routes to 2'-amino-LNA (locked nucleic acid). The optimal route is convergent with the synthesis of LNA monomers ("2'-oxy-LNA") via a common intermediate obtained by a mild deacetylation for the liberation of the 2'-hydroxy group to give compound 23 without the concomitant ring closure that affords the 2'-oxy-LNA skeleton. After inversion of the stereochemistry at C2' and triflate formation at the 2'-hydroxy group a new common intermediate 16 is obtained which gives easy access to a range of other analogues exemplified by the introduction of a sulfur nucleophile leading to the 2'-thio-LNA structure. After substitution of the triflate with azide a basic reduction affords the desired 2'-amino-LNA structure, i.e., compound 18. This new synthesis strategy towards 2'-amino-LNA improves the overall yield significantly and converges the syntheses of 2'-oxy-LNA and LNA analogues.