In vivo investigation of the role of SfmO2 in saframycin A biosynthesis by structural characterization of the analogue saframycin O

Saframycin A(SFM-A),a tetrahydroisoquinoline antibiotic isolated from Streptomyces lavendulae,shows potent anti-proliferation activities against a variety of tumor cell lines,and shares the core structure with ecteinascidin 743(ET-743),the anticancer drug for soft-tissue sarcoma.Characterization of the SFM-A biosynthetic gene cluster revealed three nonribosomal peptide synthetase genes and a series of genes encoding oxygenases.To investigate the function of sfmO2 gene,encoding a FAD-dependent monooxygenase/hydroxylase,we constructed the gene replacement mutant(△sfmO2) strain S.lavendulae TL2007 and the corresponding gene complementation mutant strain S.lavendulae TL2008.A novel compound,SFM-O,was isolated from the △sfmO2 replacement mutant strain and its structure was characterized by comparison to the HRMS and NMR spectra of SFM-A.These findings indicated that SfmO2 is responsible for the oxidation of ring A in the biosynthetic pathway of SFM-A,and the new compound SFM-O could be considered as an advanced intermediate in the semisynthesis of ET-743.     

A new, more efficient, and effective process for the synthesis of a key pentacyclic intermediate for production of ecteinascidin and phthalascidin antitumor agents

An efficient process is described for the synthesis of 5, a key intermediate for the synthesis of the potent antitumor agents ecteinascidin 743 (1) and phthalascidin (2) from the readily available building blocks 3b and 4.     

A practical synthesis of the ABC ring model of ecteinascidins

A practical synthesis of 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexahydro-1,5-imino-10-hydroxy-9-methoxy-3,8,11-trimethyl-3- benzazocin-4-one (3) as an ABC ring model compound of ecteinascidin 743 and safracins from 3-hydroxy-4-methoxy-5-methylbenzaldehyde (7) is described. The overall yield in 15 steps is 27%.     

Synthesis of ecteinascidin ET-743 and phthalascidin Pt-650 from cyanosafracin B

An efficient new process is described for the synthesis of ecteinascidin ET-743 (1) and phthalascidin (2), starting from readily available cyanosafracin B (3).     

Synthetic studies on ecteinascidin-743: constructing a versatile pentacyclic intermediate for the synthesis of ecteinascidins and saframycins

[reaction: see text] The asymmetric synthesis of a highly functionalized pentacyclic tetrahydroisoquinoline relevant to the ecteinascidin, saframycin, safracin, and renieramycin family of antitumor alkaloids is described.     

Total synthesis of ecteinascidin 743

A convergent total synthesis of ecteinascidin 743 is realized from five building blocks of almost equal size. It takes 23 steps from l-3-hydroxy-4-methoxy-5-methyl phenylalanol (5) with an overall yield of 3%.     

The structures of novel antibiotics,saframycin B and C

The structure of saframycin C(3) has been established by an X-ray crystallographic analysis; this result allows the assignment of structure to the closely related saframycin B(2) by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy.     

Total synthesis of ecteinascidin 743

The total synthesis of ecteinascidin 743 (1), an extremely potent antitumor agent, has been accomplished. The synthesis features Ugi's 4CC reaction, intramolecular Heck reaction, phenol-aldehyde cyclization, and acid-induced intramolecular sulfide formation.     

Synthetic studies on Et-743. Assembly of the pentacyclic core and a formal total synthesis

A formal total synthesis of the potent anticancer agent Et-743 is described. The tetrahydroisoquinoline core is stereoselectively constructed using a novel radical cyclization of a glyoxalimine. Further elaboration of this core rapidly accessed the pentacyclic core of Et-743, but a mixture of regiosisomers was obtained in the key Pictet-Spengler ring closure. A known advanced intermediate in the synthesis of Et-743 was intercepted, constituting a formal synthesis of the molecule.     

Novel design of a pentacyclic scaffold as structural mimic of saframycin A

The design, synthesis and evaluation of a pentacyclic scaffold, CWO-324 to mimic saframycin A is described. CWO-324 is readily synthesized in five steps from 1,4-diacetyl-piperazine-2,5-dione and 2,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde. CWO-324 was found to scission DNA, binds to bases 69-83(5′-GCAGTCAGG CACCGT-3′) of Hind III/Rsa I from plasmid pBR322 DNA in a foot-printing study and possesses anti-tumor activity.     

Studies directed towards total synthesis of saframycin: I. A synthesis of hexahydro-1,5-imino-3-benzazocin-7,10-dione.

A short-step synthesis of $\text{2}$, the right-hand half of antibiotic saframycin ($\text{1}$), is described. The key steps of this synthesis are the acid catalyzed intramolecular double cyclization of $\text{4}$ and the oxidative demethylation of $\text{7}$ to the quinone ($\text{2}$).     

Chemistry of ecteinascidins. Part 2. Preparation of 6'-O-acyl derivatives of stable ecteinascidin and evaluation of cytotoxicity

A large amount of stable ecteinascidin 770 (1b) was isolated from the Thai tunicate, Ecteinascidia thurstoni, which was pretreated with potassium cyanide in buffer solution (pH 7), along with a minor metabolite, ecteinascidin 786 (1c). A number of 6'-O-acyl derivatives 3-19 and three diacetyl derivatives 2a-c of the stable 1b were prepared and evaluated for activity against human tumor cell lines HCT116, QG56, and DU145. Nitrogen-containing heterocyclic ester derivatives such as 12, 13, and 16-19 showed similar in vitro cytotoxicity to 1b, whereas the other derivatives were less cytotoxic than 1b. Furthermore, we discovered that the N-indole-3-carbonyl derivative of ecteinascidin 770 (22) has higher cytotoxicity than 1b.     

A stereocontrolled total synthesis of (±)-saframycin A

A thirteen-step total synthesis of (±)-saframycin A from a tricyclic lactam intermediate is described. The key step of this total synthesis is the stereocontrolled construction of a pentacyclic saframycin framework via a modified Pictet-Spengler type cyclization generating a bis-carboxylic acid ester derivative, followed by decarboxylation. The cytotoxicity profiles are also presented.     

A solid-supported,enantioselective synthesis suitable for the rapid preparation of large numbers of diverse structural analogues of (-)-saframycin A

A 10-step solid-supported, enantioselective synthesis suitable for the rapid preparation of large numbers of diverse structural analogues of saframycin A is described. The synthetic route, which bears analogy to solid-phase peptide synthesis, involves the directed condensation of N-protected alpha-amino aldehyde reactants. A novel dual linker was developed for attachment of intermediates to the solid support via a C-protective group, a substituted morpholino nitrile derivative. The route employs a novel diastereospecific cyclorelease mechanism, supports structural variation at multiple sites in the saframycin core, and obviates the need for chromatographic purification of the products or any intermediate. To demonstrate the feasibility of structural variation at multiple sites, a matrix of 16 saframycin A analogues was prepared by parallel synthesis with simultaneous variation of two sites. This work is notable not only as a preliminary step toward large-scale library construction but also as an example of the use of sequential stereoselective C-C bond-forming reactions on the solid phase for the preparation of natural product analogues.     

Synthetic approaches toward ecteinascidins. Part 2. Preparation of the ABCDE ring system of ecteinascidins having characteristic substituents in both benzene rings

A synthesis of an advanced ABCDE ring system (24c) having characteristic substituents in both benzene rings of ecteinascidin marine natural products is described based on our model studies.     

Regioselectivity of Pictet-Spengler cyclization reactions to construct the pentacyclic frameworks of the ecteinascidin-saframycin class of tetrahydroisoquinoline antitumor antibiotics

The regiochemical outcome of Pictet-Spengler cyclization reactions directed toward the preparation of the pentacyclic core of the ecteinascidin class of antitumor antibiotics has been investigated on two different phenolic substrates. In one substrate, the assistance of an incipient benzylamine group at C-4 is postulated to direct the cyclization in favor of the pentacyclic framework of ET-743, which bears a hydroxyl group at C-18. Conversely, cyclization of an alternative substrate lacking a heteroatom at C-4 favors the opposite regiochemical outcome, primarily affording an unnatural pentacyclic core bearing a hydroxyl group at C-16.     

One-step construction of the pentacyclic skeleton of saframycin A from a "Trimer" of alpha-amino aldehydes

The entire skeleton of the saframycin antitumor antibiotics is assembled in one remarkable transformation (8 --> 9) from an N-linked oligomer of three alpha-amino aldehyde components, a reaction pathway that may parallel the biosynthetic route to the saframycins.     

Synthetic Studies of Et-743, Preparation of A Racemic Amino Alcohol Precursor

A mild two-step method was used to cleave the lactam ring of the tricyclic intermediate 1. A key racemic amino alcohol precursor 5 for the construction of Et-743 skeleton was synthesized from 1 through four steps in total yield of 47%.     

Synthesis,Characterization and Biological Evaluation of Magnolol and Honokiol Derivatives with 1,3,5-Triazine of Metformin Cyclization

Herein, we sought to evaluate the contribution of the 1,3,5-triazine ring through the metformin cyclization unit to the biological activity of magnolol and honokiol-conjugates. One of the phenolic OH groups of magnolol or honokiol was replaced by a 1,3,5-triazine ring to further explore their synthesis and medicinal versatility. In this study, a robust procedure of three steps was adopted for the synthesis of magnolol and honokiol derivatives by alkylation of potassium carbonate with a 1,3,5-triazine ring. To our knowledge, this is the first report to connect one of the phenolic OH positions of magnolol or honokiol to a 1,3,5-triazine ring cyclized by metformin. The structural characterization of three new compounds was carried out via spectroscopic techniques, i.e., ¹³C NMR, ¹H NMR, and HRMS. Surprisingly, these compounds showed no cytotoxicity against RAW 264.7 macrophages but significantly inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 (human breast cancer cells), HepG2 (human hepatoma cells), A549 (human lung carcinoma cells), and BxPC-3 (human pancreatic carcinoma cells) tumor cell lines. Furthermore, the compounds also significantly inhibited the release of inflammatory cytokines, including nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated mouse cells (RAW 264.7). Among them, compound 2 demonstrated promising broad-spectrum antiproliferative potential with half inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values ranging from 5.57 to 8.74 µM and it significantly decreased caspase-3 and Bcl-2 expression in HepG2 cells. These interesting findings show that derivatization of magnolol and honokiol with 1,3,5-triazine affects and modulates their biological properties.     

Study on the Total Synthesis of Ecteinascidin 743 and Its Analogues-Construction of A Pentacyclic Intermediate

A concise and efficient synthesis of the pentacyclic intermediate 1,as a simple model compound of Ecteinascidin 743 and its analogues,is described.