We studied six pairs of aminoglycosides and their corresponding ribosylated derivatives synthesized by attaching a β-O-linked ribofuranose to the 5-OH of the deoxystreptamine ring of the parent pseudo-oligosaccharide antibiotic. Ribosylation of the 4,6-disubstituted 2-deoxystreptamine aminoglycoside kanamycin B led to improved selectivity for inhibition of prokaryotic relative to cytosolic eukaryotic in vitro translation. For the pseudodisaccharide aminoglycoside scaffolds neamine and nebramine, ribosylated derivatives were both more potent antimicrobials and more selective to inhibition of prokaryotic translation. On the basis of the results of this study, we suggest that modification of the 5-OH position of the streptamine ring of other natural or semisynthetic pseudodisaccharide aminoglycoside scaffolds containing an equatorial amine at the 2' sugar position with a β-O-linked ribofuranose is a promising avenue for the development of novel aminoglycoside antibiotics with improved efficacy and reduced toxicity.