Gram-scale synthesis of iejimalide B

Iejimalide B ( 2 ) is the most promising member of a small family of marine polyene macrolides endowed with remarkably selective activity against human cancer cell lines. As this product, however, is hardly available from the natural sources, a detailed evaluation requires the development of an efficient and practical synthetic approach. This challenge has now been met by adapting the first total synthesis of 2 previously reported by our group to the needs of high material throughput. Redesigning the access routes to the five required building blocks in combination with a careful optimization of the fragment coupling processes provided gram amounts of this valuable compound in a sequence of no more than 16 linear steps with an overall yield of about 7 %. Key elements of the successful strategy include: i) three hydrostannylation processes of elaborate terminal alkynes with “lower order” stannyl cuprates, ii) a Brown allylation, a Noyori transfer hydrogenation, and a Marshall propargylation to set the chiral centers at C9, C17, C22 and C23, and iii) a modified Takai–Utimoto olefination for the preparation of the very labile skipped 1,4‐diene flanking the ester group. The assembly process benefited from a particularly mild protocol for the Stille cross‐coupling previously developed in this laboratory, which clearly outperformed the alternative Suzuki reaction in terms of yield and scalability. The 24‐membered macrocyclic frame was forged by a remarkably selective ring‐closing metathesis reaction (RCM), in which two out of the ten double bonds present in the cyclization precursor were selectively activated with the aid of a second‐generation Grubbs catalyst.     

Total synthesis of iejimalide B. An application of the Shiina macrolactonization

The potent anticancer compound iejimalide B (1) was prepared by a total synthesis through a strategy that features Julia olefinations, Wittig olefinations, a Carreira enantioselective alkynylation, a Heck reaction, a Marshall propargylation reaction, a Stille coupling, and a Shiina macrolactonization.     

Stereochemistry of iejimalide B

The absolute configurations at five chiral centers, except for C-32(S) reported previously, in iejimalide B (1), a potent cytotoxic 24-membered macrolide isolated from a tunicate Eudistoma cf. rigida, were assigned as 4R, 9S, 17S, 22S, and 23S on the basis of detailed analysis of NMR data and chemical means. Furthermore, the structure of iejimalide B was revised from 2 (original: 13E) to its 13Z-isomer (1).     

Total synthesis of iejimalide A-D and assessment of the remarkable actin-depolymerizing capacity of these polyene macrolides

A concise and convergent total synthesis of the highly cytotoxic marine natural products iejimalide A-D (1-4) is reported, which relies on an effective ring-closing metathesis (RCM) reaction of a cyclization precursor containing no less than 10 double bonds. Because of the exceptional sensitivity of this polyunsaturated intermediate and its immediate precursors toward acid, base, and even gentle warming, the assembly process hinged upon the judicious choice of protecting groups and the careful optimization of all individual transformations. As a consequence, particularly mild protocols for Stille as well as Suzuki reactions of elaborate coupling partners have been developed that hold considerable promise for applications in other complex settings. Moreover, a series of non-natural "iejimalide-like" compounds has been prepared, differing from the natural lead in the polar head groups linked to the macrolide's N-terminus. With the aid of these compounds it was possible to uncover the hitherto unknown effect of iejimalide and analogues on the actin cytoskeleton. Their capacity to depolymerize this microfilament network rivals that of the latrunculins which constitute the standard in the field. Structural modifications of the peptidic terminus in 2 are thereby well accommodated, without compromising the biological effects. The iejimalides hence constitute an important new class of probe molecules for chemical biology in addition to their role as promising lead structures for the development of novel anticancer agents.     

Total synthesis of desferrisalmycin B

The first total synthesis of a naturally occurring siderophore antibiotic, desferrisalmycin B, is described, and the configuration of the unknown stereocenter is assigned. The synthesis features a synthetic strategy of constructing the novel amino-heptopyranoside component by stereoselective dihydroxylation followed by a Bose-modified Mitsunobu reaction. Through this convergent approach, other members of salmycins should also be synthetically accessible.     

Total synthesis of brevetoxin B

The convergent total synthesis of brevetoxin B (1) has been achieved. The intramolecular allylation of the O,S-acetal 20, prepared from the alpha-chlorosulfide 17 and the alcohol 5, was carried out using AgOTf as a Lewis acid to give the diene 21, predominantly. Ring-closing metathesis of 21 with the Grubbs catalyst 23 afforded the hexacyclic ether 25 which was converted to the A-G ring segment 2 through several steps. The intramolecular allylation of the alpha-acetoxy ether 42, prepared from 2 and the J-K ring segment 3, followed by ring-closing metathesis provided the polycyclic ether framework 44. A series of reactions of 44, including oxidation of the A ring, deprotection of the silyl ethers, and selective oxidation of the resulting allylic alcohol, furnished 1.     

Total synthesis of dapiramicin B

The first total synthesis of dapiramicin B, a nucleoside antibiotic, is described. The characteristic N-glycoside linkage in dapiramicin B was effectively constructed by way of the Pd-catalyzed coupling reaction of a heptopyranosylamine with a bromopyrrolopyrimidine derivative.     

Total synthesis of dictyodendrin B

A concise total synthesis of dictyodendrin B (1) is reported, a scarce marine alkaloid endowed with promising telomerase inhibitory activity. Key steps of the chosen route are a reductive cyclization of ketoamide 11 to indole 12 mediated by low-valent titanium (from TiCl3 and KC8) followed by a photochemical 6pi-electrocyclization, which was performed in the presence of Pd/C and nitrobenzene to effect concomitant dehydrogenation/aromatization of the product initially formed. Regioselective bromination of the resulting pyrrolocarbazole 13 followed by lithium/bromine exchange and quenching of the resulting organolithium species with p-methoxybenzaldehyde installed the side chain at C2. Oxidation of the benzylic alcohol 15 thus obtained to ketone 17 was best achieved with catalytic amounts of tetra-n-propylammonium perruthenate (TPAP) and N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMO) in dilute CH2Cl2 solution to avoid the formation of undue amounts of the unsymmetrical dimer 16. Ketone 17 was elaborated into the natural product by selective cleavage of the isopropyl ether with BCl3, introduction of the sulfate moiety with the aid of trichloroethyl chlorosulfuric acid ester, deprotection of all lateral methyl ether groups, and final reductive cleavage of the trichloroethyl ester moiety. The spectroscopic data of synthetic dictyodendrin B thus formed matched those of an authentic sample in all regards. Moreover, it was shown that global deprotection of the peripheral -OH groups in pyrrolo[2,3-c]carbazole 13 is accompanied by spontaneous air-oxidation to form the quinone core of dictyodendrin C.     

Total synthesis of erythromycin B

We report the details of the first total synthesis of erythromycin B using two different strategies for the end game. The first of these follows a classical approach in which the desosamine and cladinose residues are sequentially appended to a macrocyclic lactone, which was formed by cyclization of a seco acid derivative, to give a bis-glycosylated macrolide intermediate that is converted into erythromycin B. The second strategy features an abiotic approach in which a seco acid bearing a desosamine residue is cyclized to give a monoglycosylated macrocyclic lactone that is then transformed into erythromycin B via a sequence of steps involving refunctionalizations and a glycosylation to introduce the cladinose moiety. Attempts to prepare a bis-glycosylated seco acid by de novo synthesis were unsuccessful. The syntheses of the key seco acid intermediates feature the oxidative transformation of a furan containing C(3)-C(10) to provide a dioxabicyclo[3.3.1]nonenone that served as a template on which to create the stereocenters at C(6) and C(8). A stereoselective aldol reaction was used to establish the C(11)-C(15) segment, and a stereoselective crotylation was implemented to introduce the propionate subunit comprising C(1)-C(2).     

Total synthesis of fumitremorgin B

A total synthesis of a tremorgenic mycotoxin, fumitremorgin B is described.     

Total synthesis of leustroducsin B

A convergent total synthesis of leustroducsin B (1), which is known to exhibit a variety of biological activities, was successfully carried out. Notable features of our synthesis include construction of the C8 stereocenter by lipase-mediated desymmetrization of meso-diol 4 (90.2% ee) and preparation of the C9-C11 anti-diol moiety by the addition of alkynylzinc reagent 20 to the aldehyde 19. Furthermore, a new diol protecting group, p-silyloxybenzylidene, was developed for the deprotection from densely functionalized substrates under weakly acidic conditions. The protecting group was easily removed in a two-step procedure ((HF)3.Et3N; AcOH-THF-H2O).     

Total synthesis of fumitremorgin B

Total synthesis of fumitremorgin B, one of the potent tremorgic mycotoxins, was achieved in 7 steps.     

Total synthesis of chrysamide B

We report an efficient synthesis of the dimeric trans-epoxyamide chrysamide B, recently isolated from the deep-sea-derived fungus Penicillium chrysogenum SCSIO41001. Our synthetic strategy exploits a convergent approach using solid-phase peptide synthesis for the piperazine core and a Sharpless-Katsuki epoxidation to prepare the chiral epoxyacid. The double amidation final step provides chrysamide B that was thoroughly characterized with all spectra identical to those of the natural sample. The approach was devised to facilitate the preparation of a library of analogs of chrysamide B.     

Total synthesis of tovophyllin B

The first total synthesis of tovophyllin B (2), an antimicrobial xanthone derived from mangosteen, has been accomplished through a convergent strategy from building blocks 6 and 7 involving lithium-mediated coupling, dehydrative cyclization, and 6π electrocyclization as key steps.     

Total synthesis of phorboxazole B

An efficient and highly convergent total synthesis of the potent antitumor agent phorboxazole B has been achieved. The synthetic strategy of this synthesis features: 1) a highly efficient substrate-controlled hydrogenation to construct the functionalized cis-tetrahydropyrane unit; 2) iterative crotyl addition to synthesize the segment that contains alternating hydroxyl and methyl substituents; 3) Hg(OAc)2/I2-induced cyclization to establish the cis-tetrahydropyrane moiety; 4) 1,3-asymmetric induction in the Mukaiyama aldol reaction to afford the stereogenic centers at C9 and C3; and 5) the exploration of the Still-Gennari olefination reaction to complete the macrolide ring of phorboxazoloe B.