Cyclization by double reductive amination of L-arabino-hexos-5-ulose with suitably protected D- as well as L-lysine derivatives provided 1-deoxygalactonojirimycin lysine hybrids without any observable epimer formation at C-5. Modifications on the lysine moiety by acylation gave access to lipophilic derivatives which exhibited excellent D-galactosidase inhibitory activities.
