Enantioselective synthesis of alkaloids from phenylglycinol-derived lactams

This review is focused on recent synthetic achievements and ongoing work in our laboratory using phenylglycinol-derived oxazolopiperidone lactams as starting materials for the enantioselective synthesis of piperidine-containing alkaloids: madangamines, 2,5-disubstituted decahydroquinoline and 1-substituted tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids, the indole alkaloids 20S- and 20R-dihydrocleavamine and quebrachamine, and indole alkaloids of the uleine and silicine groups.     

Stylissadines A and B: the first tetrameric pyrrole-imidazole alkaloids

[reaction: see text] Pyrrole-imidazole alkaloids are widely distributed in marine sponges of the orders Halichondrida and Agelasida. Chemical investigation of the Caribbean sponge Stylissa caribica led to the isolation of the first tetrameric pyrrole-imidazole alkaloids. The so-called stylissadines are the largest and most complex pyrrole-imidazole alkaloids discovered so far and are therefore a major challenge for the structure determination by NMR spectroscopy. Their isolation and structure elucidation are discussed in detail.     

Model studies on the synthesis of madangamine alkaloids. Assembly of the macrocyclic rings

Using simplified model derivatives, the assembly of the macrocyclic rings of madangamines, including the 13- and 14-membered D rings of madangamines C-E, the all-cis-triunsaturated 15-membered D ring of madangamine A, and the (Z,Z)-unsaturated 11-membered E ring common to madangamines A-E, has been studied.     

Misenine,a Novel Macrocyclic Alkaloid with an Unusual Skeleton from the Mediterranean Sponge Reniera sp

PolycycJic marine alkaloids containing 3-alkylpyridine or partially reduced 3-alkylpyridine as basic building blocks represent an emerging and intriguing group of bioactive natural products from marine sponges. Since halitoxin,² the first example of this kind of alkaloid, was reported in 1978, many related alkaloids have been discovered from sponges of the order Haplosclerida. All of these alkaloids, in spite of formally exhibiting quite different frameworks, could biogeneticaliy derive from bis-3-alkylpyridine or reduced bis-3-alkylpyridine units. In the last decade, the knowledge of this fascinating group of compounds has increased remarkably. A recent review has exhaustively studied occurrence, distribution, plausible biogenetic origin and relatedness, as well as biological activities, of 3-alkylpyridine derived marine alkaloids.³     

Indolizidine and quinolizidine alkaloids

This review covers the isolation, structure determination, synthesis and biological activity of indolizidine and quinolizidine alkaloids from microbial, plant and animal sources. Included in the review are slaframine; hydroxylated indolizidines and their analogues; alkaloids from ants and amphibians; metabolites of the genera Prosopis, Streptomyces and Nuphar and the Lythraceae; phenanthroindolizidines and related alkaloids; lupin alkaloids; and alkaloids from sponges. tunicates and coccinellid beetles. The literature from July 2000 to June 2001 is reviewed, and 172 references are cited.     

1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-8-hydroxymanzamines, alkaloids from two different haplosclerid sponges

The isolation and characterization of two new sponge alkaloids, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2-N-methyl-8-hydroxymanzamine A (2) and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-8-hydroxymanzamine A (3), is described. These compounds were obtained from Papua New Guinea sponges of the genera Petrosia and Cribochalina, which are in different families of the order Haplosclerida. These new manzamines are close in structure to 8-hydroxymanzamine (4) recently reported from Pachypellina, a Haplosclerid sponge belonging to a different family than that of the two preceding sponges. The cytotoxicity of 2 is described and the biogenetic relationship of 2 or 3 to manzamine A (1) and to nine other related polycyclic diamine and one monoamine type alkaloids is described.     

Insights into the Biosynthesis of Cyclic Guanidine Alkaloids from Crambeidae Marine Sponges

Among the outstanding chemical diversity found in marine sponges, cyclic guanidine alkaloids, present in species of the family Crambeidae, are particularly attractive, not only because of their unique chemical features, but also due to a broad range of biological activities. Despite a growing interest in these natural products as therapeutic agents, their metabolic pathway has not been experimentally investigated. Ex situ feeding experiments using radiolabeled precursors performed on the Mediterranean sponge Crambe crambe suggest arginine and fatty acids as precursors in the metabolic pathway of crambescins. A subsequent bio‐inspired approach supported the change of paradigm in the metabolic pathway of cyclic guanidine alkaloids. A large part of the chemical diversity of this family would therefore originate from a tethered Biginelli‐like reaction between C‐2/C‐3 activated fatty acids and a central guanidinylated pyrrolinium.     

海洋溴吡咯生物碱的研究进展

大量的溴吡咯生物碱从海绵中得到分离, 并表现出良好的生理活性. 这类化合物因其结构的新颖性、多样性、以及良好的生理活性而成为合成化学家关注的焦点. 综述了近年来海洋溴吡咯生物碱的分离和合成进展.     

Structure and synthesis of 2-aminoimidazole alkaloids from Leucetta and Clathrina sponges

Marine sponges belonging to the Calcarea family have been studied for some time and have yielded a wide variety of structurally unique secondary metabolites. In particular, these sponges have produced a large number of bioactive alkaloids containing an imidazole heterocycle, typically substituted with two benzylic fragments at various locations around the azole nucleus and at various oxidation states. This review will describe the isolation, structural determination and synthetic studies towards this growing class of natural products.     

海洋二聚吡咯-咪唑类生物碱

近20年来,大量二聚吡咯-咪唑类生物碱从海绵中分离得到,并表现出良好的生理活性。而这些分离上的进展,为确定该类化合物结构提供新的信息,更促进了生源合成的研究发展。这类化合物因其结构新颖性、多样性以及良好的生理活性而成为合成化学家们关注的焦点。由于该类天然产物分子结构的复杂性、分子中的高氮数(N/C ≈ 1 ∶2)以及不确定的绝对构型,使得这类分子的合成十分具有挑战性。本文主要综述了海洋二聚吡咯-咪唑类生物碱的分离和合成进展。     

Catalytic, asymmetric, "interrupted" Feist-Bénary reactions

Pyrimidine derivatives of the cinchona alkaloids function as excellent asymmetric catalysts for the "Interrupted" Feist-Bénary Reaction. This reaction produces highly substituted hydroxydihydrofurans from simple starting materials under mild conditions. The asymmetric reaction gives high enantioselectivities with unsubstituted bromoketones, and high enantio- and diastereoselectivities with substituted substrates. Mechanistic experiments suggest that the hydrobromide salt of the alkaloid derivative is the active catalyst for the reaction.     

Pyrroloiminoquinone and related metabolites from marine sponges

This review presents the structure, biological activity, biosynthetic studies and, where applicable, references to syntheses of 81 marine alkaloids containing either tetra-, hexa- or octa-hydrogenated variants of pyrrolo[4,3,2-de]quinoline, pyrrolo[4,3,2-de]pyrrolo[2,3-h]quinoline and pyrido[2,3-h]pyrrolo[4,3,2-de]quinoline core skeletons. The literature describing the isolation of pyrroloiminoquinones, and related metabolites, from marine sponges is littered with taxonomic inconsistencies and recent efforts to clarify the taxonomy of the sponges that produce this group of metabolites are discussed.     

Some recent advances in the synthesis of polycyclic imidazole-containing marine natural products

This Highlight describes some of the recent synthetic work on imidazole-containing alkaloids isolated from marine sponges. Target molecules have been chosen which demonstrate synthetic strategies leading towards metabolites containing intact imidazole moieties as well as systems bearing modified imidazole rings.     

Genus Smenospongia: Untapped Treasure of Biometabolites—Biosynthesis,Synthesis, and Bioactivities

Marine sponges continue to attract remarkable attention as one of the richest pools of bioactive metabolites in the marine environment. The genus Smenospongia (order Dictyoceratida, family Thorectidae) sponges can produce diverse classes of metabolites with unique and unusual chemical skeletons, including terpenoids (sesqui-, di-, and sesterterpenoids), indole alkaloids, aplysinopsins, bisspiroimidazolidinones, chromenes, γ-pyrones, phenyl alkenes, naphthoquinones, and polyketides that possessed diversified bioactivities. This review provided an overview of the reported metabolites from Smenospongia sponges, including their biosynthesis, synthesis, and bioactivities in the period from 1980 to June 2022. The structural characteristics and diverse bioactivities of these metabolites could attract a great deal of attention from natural-product chemists and pharmaceuticals seeking to develop these metabolites into medicine for the treatment and prevention of certain health concerns.     

Pyrrole aminoimidazole alkaloid metabiosynthesis with marine sponges Agelas conifera and Stylissa caribica

Game-SET-match: Pyrrole aminoimidazole alkaloids (PAIs) are metabiosynthesized from chlorinated analogues of oroidin by cell-free enzyme preparations from PAI-producing sponges. Evidence and implications for the biosynthesis of PAIs include putative single-electron transfers (SETs) that promote C-C bond-forming reactions of precursors.     

A journey under the sea: the quest for marine anti-cancer alkaloids

The alarming increase in the global cancer death toll has fueled the quest for new effective anti-tumor drugs thorough biological screening of both terrestrial and marine organisms. Several plant-derived alkaloids are leading drugs in the treatment of different types of cancer and many are now being tested in various phases of clinical trials. Recently, marine-derived alkaloids, isolated from aquatic fungi, cyanobacteria, sponges, algae, and tunicates, have been found to also exhibit various anti-cancer activities including anti-angiogenic, anti-proliferative, inhibition of topoisomerase activities and tubulin polymerization, and induction of apoptosis and cytotoxicity. Two tunicate-derived alkaloids, aplidin and trabectedin, offer promising drug profiles, and are currently in phase II clinical trials against several solid and hematologic tumors. This review sheds light on the rich array of anti-cancer alkaloids in the marine ecosystem and introduces the most investigated compounds and their mechanisms of action.     

Direct Synthesis of Protoberberine Alkaloids by Rh‐Catalyzed C−H Bond Activation as the Key Step

A one‐pot reaction of substituted benzaldehydes with alkyne–amines by a Rh‐catalyzed C?H activation and annulation to afford various natural and unnatural protoberberine alkaloids is reported. This reaction provides a convenient route for the generation of a compound library of protoberberine salts, which recently have attracted great attention because of their diverse biological activities. In addition, pyridinium salt derivatives can also be formed in good yields from α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes and amino–alkynes. This reaction proceeds with excellent regioselectivity and good functional group compatibility under mild reaction conditions by using O₂ as the oxidant.     

Viscosamine: the first naturally occurring trimeric 3-alkyl pyridinium alkaloid

[structure: see text] Pyridinium alkaloids are widely distributed in marine sponges of different genera. Chemical investigation of the Arctic sponge Haliclona viscosa led to the isolation of a new trimeric 3-alkyl pyridinium alkaloid (viscosamine). Trimers have not been described as natural products yet. The isolation and the structure elucidation of viscosamine are discussed in detail.     

The first cyclic monomeric 3-alkylpyridinium alkaloid from natural sources: identification, synthesis, and biological activity

3-Alkylpyridine alkaloids are very common secondary metabolites from marine sponges of the order Haplosclerida. Here, we report on the identification and synthesis of the first cyclic monomeric 3-alkylpyridinium alkaloid from natural sources. Due to the lack of a pure sample of the new compound, structure elucidation had to rely on HPLC and MS(n).     

Viscosaline: new 3-alkyl pyridinium alkaloid from the Arctic sponge Haliclona viscosa

Polycyclic pyridinium alkaloids are widely distributed in several sponges of the order Haplosclerida. So far, studies on Haliclona and related genera were mainly concentrated on warm or tropical waters. Here, we describe the chemical investigation of the Arctic sponge Haliclona viscosa and structure elucidation of the acyclic 1,3-dialkyl pyridinium alkaloid viscosaline. A novel structural motif of viscosaline is that beta-alanine is covalently bound to one alkyl chain.