Chemo-enzymatic synthesis of ethyl (R)-2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyrate

A new biocatalytic strategy to obtain the ethyl (R)-2-hydroxy-4-oxo-4-phenylbutyrate precursor of ethyl (R)-2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutyrate, an important intermediate in the synthesis of a variety of ACE inhibitors, has been set up. Starting from ethyl 2,4-dioxo-4-phenylbutyrate, a screen of microorganisms has been performed in order to find the best catalyst able to reduce the keto group in the α-position with high chemo- and enantioselectivity. The biotransformation catalyzed by Pichia pastoris CBS 704 gave the best results in terms of conversion and enantioselectivity. The addition of adsorbing resins in the fermentation medium is effective in controlling substrate and product concentration in the medium, thus improving both conversion and enantioselectivity of the biotransformation. Preliminary experiments in a continuous batch reactor with growing culture of P. pastoris will be also presented.     

(R)- and (S)-N-(Benzyloxycarbonyl)-3,4-epoxybutylamine. New 4-amino-2-hydroxybutyl synthons for the synthesis of hypusine reagents and (R)-6- and (S)-7-hydroxyspermidine

The synthesis and application of the chiral reagents (R)- and (S)-N-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-3,4-epoxybutylamine is described for the first time. These 4-amino-2-hydroxybutyl synthons are successfully employed in the assembly of two hydroxylated triamines, (R)-6- and (S)-7-hydroxyspermidine, and a previously described hypusine reagent, (2S,9R)-11-[(benzyloxycarbonyl)amino]-7-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-2-[(9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)amino]-9-(tetrahydropyran-2-yloxy)-7-azaundecanoic acid, useful for solution- and solid-phase peptide synthesis.     

Synthesis and Analysis of the Sterically Constrained L-Glutamine Analogues (3S,4R)-3,4-Dimethyl-l-glutamine and (3S,4R)-3,4-Dimethyl-l-Pyroglutamic Acid

The nonproteinogenic amino acids (3S,4R)-3,4-Dimethyl-l-pyroglutamic acid and (3S,4R)-3,4-dimethyl-l-glutamine -- found in the cyclic depsipeptides callipeltin B, callipeltin A, and papuamide A -- were synthesized from a common intermediate derived from l-pyroglutamic acid. The diastereoselective introduction of the methyl groups was accomplished by cuprate addition and enolate alkylation, followed by a kinetic epimerization of the C-4 methyl substituent. (3S,4R)-3,4-dimethyl-l-glutamine shows a conformational restriction of its side chain which may be related to its biological function in the natural products where it is found.     

Asymmetric synthesis of (S,R)- and (R,R)-methiin stereoisomers

Abstract

An asymmetric synthesis of (+)- and (–)-methiine (S-methyl-(R)-cysteine sulfoxide) diastereomers has been developed. These natural sulfur compounds were isolated from a variety of Brassica vegetables. As the starting compound, (R)-cysteine was used, which was methylated to form (R)-S-methylcysteine. Then the oxidation of S-methylcysteine with tert-butyl hydroperoxide catalyzed by the chiral tetra(isopropylate)titanium/(S)- or (R)-Binol complex led to the formation of (1?R,2S)-(+)- or (1?R,2R)-(–)-methiin stereomers.     

Stereoselective synthesis of (2R,3S,4S,5R)-trans-3,4-dihydroxy-5-(4-fluorophenoxymethyl)-2-(1-N-hydroxyureidyl-3-butyn-4-yl)tetrahydrofuran and (2R,3S,4S,5R)-trans-5-ethynyl-2-(4-fluorophenoxymethyl)-3,4-O-isopropylidene tetrahydrofuran from mannose diacetonide

Stereoselective synthesis of pharmaceutically interesting chiral tetrahydrofurans starting from mannose diacetonide is reported. A 1,4-diol system derived from mannose diacetonide, through a Mitsunobu reaction was stereospecifically cyclized to give chiral tetrahydrofurans. Both the C-1 and C-4 centers of d-mannose are successfully exploited to install the requisite side chains.     

Progress toward the total synthesis of callipeltin A (I): asymmetric synthesis of (3S,4R)-3,4-dimethylglutamine

[reaction:see text] During the total synthesis of the novel cyclic depsipeptide callipeltin A (1), the unit (3S,4R)-3,4-dimethylglutamine, was successfully synthesized by asymmetric Michael addition and subsequent electrophilic azidation. The key feature of this approach is the generation of three adjacent stereogenic centers using the same camphorsultam chiral auxiliary.     

An enantioselective synthesis of (S)- and (R)-curcuphenol

The enantioselective synthesis of the phenolic sesquiterenses (S)- and (R)-curcuphenol is reported. The key step in this synthesis is the asymmetric conjugate addition using a readily available enantiomerically pure sulfoxide as the chiral auxiliary.     

Enantioselective synthesis of (R)- and (S)-2-methyl-3-oxo-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,4-benzoxazine-2-carboxamides

Enantiomers of 2-methyl-3-oxo-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,4-benzoxazine-2-carboxamides bearing different substituents in the aromatic ring are obtained by the cyclization of (R)-monomethyl 2-methyl-2-(2-nitrophenoxy)malonates with the participation of the carboxy and methoxycarbonyl group, respectively.     

Total synthesis of (S)-(+)-curcudiol, and (S)-(+)- and (R)-(-)-curcuphenol.

A highly enantioselective synthesis of the versatile chiral synthons possessing one stereogenic center, (S)- and (R)-4-aryl-5-hydroxy-(2E)-pentenoate (3) was achieved based on the enzymatic reaction of (+/-)-3 with commercially available lipases MY-30 or OF-360 from Candida rugosa. Application of (S)-3 and (R)-3 to the total syntheses of(S)-curcuphenol (1), (S)-curcudiol (2), and (R)-curcuphenol (1), respectively, is described.     

The enantioselective synthesis of (R)- and (S)-3-amino-3,4-dihydro-1H-[1,8]naphthyridin-2-one

A number of approaches to the enantioselective synthesis of (R)- and (S)-3-amino-3,4-dihydro-1H-[1,8]naphthyridin-2-one were studied. A novel one-pot asymmetric reduction/lactamization provided the desired products in high yield and enantiomeric excess.     

Enantioselective synthesis of (10S)- and (10R)-methyl-anandamides

For the development of novel endocannabinoid templates with potential resistance to hydrolytic and oxidative metabolism, we are targeting the bis-allylic carbons of the arachidonoyl skeleton. Toward this end, we recently disclosed the synthesis and preliminary biological data for the (13S)-methyl-anandamide. We report now the total synthesis of the (10S)- and (10R)-methyl-counterparts. Our synthetic approach is stereospecific, efficient, and provides the analogs without the need for resolution. Peptide coupling, P-2 nickel partial hydrogenation, and cis-selective Wittig olefination are the key steps.     

Stereoselective synthesis of (3S,4R)-3,4-dimethyl-(S)-glutamine and the absolute stereochemistry of the natural product from papuamides and callipeltin

(3S,4R)-3,4-Dimethyl-(S)-glutamine, a common component of cyclodepsipeptides, papuamide A and callipeltin A, was stereoselectively prepared from (S)-pyroglutamic acid. The stereostructure of natural dimethylglutamine was unambiguously confirmed to be (2S,3S,4R) by comparison of the CD and NMR spectra of the synthetic 3,4-dimethylpyroglutamic acid with the hydrolysate of callipeltin A.     

Asymmetric total synthesis of 14(R),15(S)-, 14(S),15(R)-, 14(R),15(R)-, and 14(S),15(S)-epoxyeicosatrienoic acids

The four chiral stereoisomers of 14,15-oxido-5Z, 8Z, 11Z-eicosatrienoic acid were synthesized. The absolute stereochemistry in each case was derived from an asymmetric epoxidation of E-2-octen-1-ol.     

Ring-closing metathesis of chiral allylamines. Enantioselective synthesis of (2S,3R,4S)-3,4-dihydroxyproline

The ring-closing metathesis (RCM) of two types of unsaturated chiral allylamines III, easily available from enantiomerically enriched epoxy alcohols, has been studied. Fully protected allylamines IIIa [(1)R = CH(2)-(CH(2))(n)()-CH=CH(2); (2)R = Boc; (3)R = PMB] have been prepared from unsaturated epoxy alcohols, whereas bis-allylamines IIIb ((1)R = Ph, (2)R = allyl,(3)R = Boc or PMB) have been prepared from 2,3-epoxy-3-phenylpropanol. Both types have been subjected to RCM to provide either cyclic allylamine I or II. The synthetic potential of these intermediates has been demonstrated by the enantioselective synthesis of (2S,3R,4S)-3,4-dihydroxyproline.     

Enantioconvergent synthesis of (-)-(2R,5S)-1-allyl-2,5-dimethylpiperazine,an intermediate to delta-opioid receptor ligands

A convenient, high-yield enantioconvergent synthesis of (-)-1-allyl-(2S,5R)-dimethylpiperazine from trans-2,5-dimethylpiperazine has been developed. This compound is an important intermediate in the synthesis of delta-opioid receptor ligands. The process allows for the laboratory preparation of 100 g quantities of this enantiomerically pure diamine without chromatography. The key steps in the sequence were an efficient optical resolution using relatively inexpensive resolving agents, followed by interconversion of the unwanted (+)-enantiomer into the desired (-)-enantiomer.     

New chemo-enzymatic approaches for the synthesis of (R)- and (S)-bufuralol

Both enantiomers of bufuralol are pharmaceutically important molecules. While the (S)-isomer with a higher β-blocking activity is recommended for hypertension treatment, the (R)-enantiomer can be used as marker of hepatic activity. In this paper two new alternative approaches are described for their chemo-enzymatic synthesis, providing both highly enantiomerically enriched stereoisomers of the target molecule (ee 96–98%). One route is based on the baker’s yeast mediated stereoselective biotransformation of α-substituted ketones, and the other one on the lipase mediated kinetic resolution of the racemic bromoethanol.     

An Efficient Synthesis of Optically Pure (R)- and (S)-2-(aminomethyl)alanine ((R)- and (S)-ama) and (R)- and (S)-2-(aminomethyl)leucine ((R)- and (S)-aml)

An efficient synthesis of enantiomerically pure (R)- and (S)-2-(aminomethyl)alanine ((R)- and (S)-Ama) 1a and (R)- and (S)-2-(aminomethyl)leucine ((R)- and (S)-Aml) 1b is described (Schemes 1 and 2). Resolution of the racemic amino acids was achieved using L -phenylalanine cyclohexylamide ( 2 ) as chiral auxiliary. The free amino acids 1a, b were converted to the N^α-Boc,N^γ-Z-protected derivatives 11a, b (Scheme 3) ready for incorporation into peptides. Based on the three crystal structures of the diastereoisomeric peptides 8a, 8b , and 9b , the absolute configurations in both series were determined. β-Turn type-I geometries were observed for structures 8b and 9b , whereas 8a crystallized in an extended backbone conformation.