Phormidolides B and C,Cytotoxic Agents from the Sea: Enantioselective Synthesis of the Macrocyclic Core

New cytotoxic polyketide macrolides named phormidolides B and C were isolated from a marine sponge of the Petrosiidae family collected off the coast of Pemba (Tanzania). The isolation, structure elucidation, and enantioselective synthesis of three diastereomers of the macrocyclic core is described herein. The described synthetic methodology started from 2‐deoxy‐D ‐ribose or 2‐deoxy‐L ‐ribose and afforded the desired macrocycles with high enantiomeric purity. The key step of the synthesis is the formation of the Z‐trisubstituted double bond using a Julia–Kocienski olefination. The versatility of the synthetic methodology may provide access to other enantiopure macrocycles by making changes in the starting materials or chiral inductors.     

Enantioselective Total Synthesis of (−)‐Candelalides A,B and C: Potential Kv1.3 Blocking Immunosuppressive Agents

Potential immunosuppressive agents : Candelalides A, B and C (see figure), novel blockers of the voltage‐gated potassium channel Kv1.3, have been efficiently synthesized for the first time in a convergent and unified manner starting from (+)‐5‐methyl‐Wieland–Miescher ketone. The method explored has potential for preparing various types of candelalide analogues for the structure–activity relationship studies.