Photo-assisted four-component one-pot assembly of a branched heptasaccharide derived from Carthamus tinctorius

A photo-assisted oligosaccharide assembly strategy is reported for the facile synthesis of a branched heptasaccharide with potential anti-panceratic cancer activity in a four-component [2 + 1 + 1 + 3] one-pot coupling manner. A key feature of this strategy is the incorporation of photocleavable o-nitrobenzyl group-protected saccharide building blocks. Upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation, these blocks can generate in situ the corresponding acceptors for subsequent glycosylations without the purification step, thereby facilitating the one-pot coupling process and enabling the rapid assembly of the heptasaccharide.