Polyhydroxy-N-alkyl-2-pyrrolidinones as a new class of glycolipid analogues with immune modulation potential

A focused library of novel N-alkyl-2-pyrrolidinone derivatives 3a–e was synthesized from d-galactose employing a multistep chiron approach. These novel glycolipid analogues exhibited lipopolysaccharide-mediated splenocyte proliferation with no apparent toxicity against murine splenocytes. Various immunological assays on dendritic cells, macrophages, and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells have ascertained the immunostimulatory activity of these new glycolipid analogues.