Total synthesis of the antitumor acetogenin mosin B: desymmetrization approach to the stereodivergent synthesis of threo/trans/erythro-type acetogenins

A total synthesis of the threo/trans/erythro-type acetogenin mosin B and one of its diastereomers has been achieved. The carbon skeleton is assembled in a convergent fashion from two segments (a THF ring segment and a gamma-lactone segment) through the Nozaki-Hiyama-Kishi reaction. The THF ring segment was stereoselectively constructed by a stereodivergent synthesis starting from a common intermediate (4-cyclohexene-1,2-diol) based on a desymmetrization strategy. The gamma-lactone segment was synthesized by coupling a triflate and a chiral alpha-sulfenyl gamma-lactone. By virtue of these synthetic results, we suggest that the absolute configuration of natural mosin B is 1 a. Antiproliferative effects of 1 a and 1 b were also investigated.