Synthesis of the Core Oligosaccharides of Lipooligosaccharides from Campylobacter jejuni: A Putative Cause of Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

The chemical synthesis of the highly branched core oligosaccharides of lipooligosaccharides (LOSs) found in Campylobacter jejuni, which causes Guillain-Barré syndrome by a preceding infection, is described. The target LOS mimics, consisting of eight or nine monosaccharides, were classified into three groups as key building blocks: ganglioside-core tetra-/pentasaccharides (GM1-/GD1a-like), l-glycero-d-manno-heptose-containing trisaccharides, and 3-deoxy-d-manno-2-octulosonic acid (KDO) residues. These synthetic fragments were obtained from commercially available monosaccharides.