We describe the syntheses of three different deoxy-D-allose analogs [2-deoxy-d-allose (2-DOAll), 1,2-dideoxy-d-allose (1,2-DOAll), and 1,2-didehydro-1,2-dideoxy-d-allose (1,2-DHAll)] and their fatty acid esters via regioselective lipase-catalyzed transesterification. Among them, 2-DOAll and its decanoate (2-DOAll-C10) showed higher inhibitory activity on plant growth, which is similar to d-allose (All) [corrected] and its decanoate (All-C10). Bioassay results of deoxy-All-C10 on four plant species suggest that the hydroxy group at the C-1 position might be important showing growth inhibitory activity. In addition, co-addition of gibberellin (GA3) with 1,2-DHAll-C10 and 2-DOAll-C10 recovered plant growth, suggesting that they might mainly inhibit biosynthesis of gibberellin.
Keywords: D-allose; inhibitory activity; rare sugar; regioselective transesterification.