Research Progress on the Synthesis and Activity of D-Galactose Derived Small Galectin Inhibitors

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Galectins are a family of soluble proteins which can specifically recognize the structure of -galactoside. It is widely distributed in normal and diseased tissues, and plays an important role in cell adhesion, cell apoptosis, inflammatory response, tumor metastasis and other related processes. Galectin is a promising target for the treatment of many diseases, such as tumor, inflammation and neurological diseases. Herein, the synthesis and biological activities of small galectin inhibitors derived from D-galactose are reviewed according to the difference of derivatization sites, which are expected to provide research thought for designing galectin inhibitors with high affinity and high selectivity, and afford reference for development of new drug candidates targeting galectins.