It was hypothesized that ester-linked gallic acid glycosides could be absorbed and metabolized in vivo due to the instability of an ester-linked glycosides at neutral pH. To evaluate in vivo absorption of Mangifera Indica, L. var. Keitt polyphenolics, it was first necessary to chemically characterize the compounds present using HPLC-MSn analysis. Mango pulp and extracts were also incubated with a pectinase, cellulase, pectinase with ß-glucosidase activity, and a pure ß-glucosidase to learn the extent of hydrolysis with potential application to enhancing bioavailability as a result of incubation to increase mango juice yield. After which the same extracts were assessed in differentiated Caco-2 cells to discern stability at physiological pH and to characterize metabolite formation in vitro. Finally, human urinary metabolites were characterized after 10 day consumption of 400 g in 11 individuals. Mass spectroscopic characterization and HPLC quantification of mango pulp revealed for the first time two monogalloyl glucosides (MGGs) with distinct differences in their glycoside linkages, with the ester form dominating, as well as the presence of five other phenolic acid glycosides; hydroxybenzoic acid glucoside, courmaric glucoside, ferulic acid glucoside, and sinapic acid mono and di-glucosides. Six oxygenated carotenoid derivatives were identified for the first time in a phytochemical extract, namely, a phytohormone, abscisic acid and its glycoside, two catabolism products of abscisic acid, dihydrophasic acids, and two hydroxy-dimethyl decadiene-dioic acid glucopiranosylesters. Gallotannins ranging from tetra-galloyl glucosides to nona-galloyl glucosides were also identified in the pulp, but not quantified. Clearzyme 200XL and Rapidase AR2000 were the most effective at increasing juice yield of mango pulp due to their pectinase action. Cz reduced the amount of ester-linked MGG by 70% after 4 hours of incubation while Rap hydrolyzed the ether linked MGG. The instability of ester-linked galloyl-glycosides at pH 7.4 was characterized by HPLC-MS and after only four hours of incubation a shift from HWM tannins (>8GG) to LMW (<8GG) occurred and resulted in 25 mg/L free gallic acid. Caco-2 cells metabolized gallic acid, MGG from a mango extract, and a gallotannin extract into O-methyl gallic acid indicating catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) as a major metabolizing enzyme for gallic acid. Urinary metabolites were identified by HPLC-MSn in dependant scans. O-methylgallic acid-O-sulfate was identified as the major metabolite 0-6 hours post consumption, followed by O-methylgallic acid at a lower concentration. The presence of gallic acid metabolites in the urine indicates absorption of ester-linked glycosides. Colonic metabolites were detected beginning 3-6 hours after consumption of mango, and were identified as pyrogalloyl derivatives. They are hypothesized to be the products of microbial breakdown of gallotannins. Daily consumption of mango for 10 days increased the concentration of O-methylgallic acid-O-sulfate, but was not significant.

Les polyphénols et les phénols sont des molécules organiques largement présentes dans le règne végétal et souvent évaluées pour leur potentiel pharmacologique. Ces travaux de thèse concernent la synthèse totale de gallotannins, une classe importante de polyphénols, et l’hémisynthèse de la norbergénine, un C-arylglucoside naturel. Les gallotannins font partie des tannins hydrolysables dont la biosynthèse conduit à des structures chimiques caractérisées par la présence, sur un cœur glucopyranose, de plusieurs unités galloyle liées les unes aux autres par des liaisons méta-depside. Aucune synthèse chimique de ces composés n’ayant été décrite à ce jour, nous avons réalisé la synthèse totale de gallotannins naturels et de leurs anomères non naturels porteurs de motifs di- ou tri-galloyle depside. Ces travaux ont également permis d’étudier l’équilibre méta-para de ces motifs en solution. Quant à l’hémisynthèse de la norbergénine, elle a été réalisée avec succès en une seule étape à partir de la bergénine, un C-arylglucoside commercial, par réaction de O-déméthylation oxydante au SIBX (version stabilisée commerciale du iodane_λ5 IBX). Cette réaction chimiosélective a également été appliquée à des 2-méthoxyphénols et a notamment permis l’obtention de l’hydroxytyrosol à partir de l’alcool homovanillique. / Polyphenols and phenols are organic molecules widely found in the plant kingdom and very often evaluated for their pharmacological potential. This thesis work describes the total synthesis of gallotannins, an important class of polyphenols, and the hemisynthesis of norbergenin, a natural C-arylglucoside. The gallotannins belong to the hydrolysable tannins whose biosynthesis leads to chemical structures characterized by the presence, on a glucopyranose core, of several galloyl units linked ones to the others by meta-depside bonds. No chemical synthesis of these compounds have been reported to date, so we completed the total synthesis of several naturally occurring meta-depsidic gallotannins and their non natural anomers that contain di- or tri-galloyl motifs. This work also allowed the study of the meta-para equilibrium of these motifs in solution. For the norbergenin hemisynthesis, it was successfully achieved in a one step reaction from bergenin, a commercial C-arylglucoside, by a SIBX-mediated oxidative O-demethylation (SIBX = commercially available stabilized version of the λ5 _iodane IBX). This chemoselective reaction was also applied to 2-methoxyphenols and notably allowed the hemisynthesis of hydroxytyrosol from homovanillyl alcohol.