Mammalian alkaloids: Synthesis and O-methylation of (S)- and (R)-3′-hydroxycoclaurine and their N-methylated analogues with S-adenosyl-L-[methyl-14C]methionine in presence of mammalian catechol O-methyltransferase

O-Methylation of the optically active 3′-hydroxycoclaurines 3a and 3b and of the N-methylated analogs 5a,b with S-adenosyl-L -methyl-¹⁴C]methionine in presence of mammalian COMT was investigated in vitro. The N-unsubstituted (1S)- and (1R )-isomers 3a and 3b , respectively, afforded almost equal amounts of the corresponding N-norreticuline 4 and N-nororientaline 19 , besides two unknown by-products (see Fig. and Table 1). The N-methylated (1S)-isoquinoline 5a , on the other hand, afforded largely (S)-orientaline ((S)- 19 ), while an almost equal mixture of (R)-reticuline ( 6b ) and (R)-orientaline ((R)- 19 ) was obtained from the (1R)-enantiomer 5b . The isoquinolines 3a,b and 5a,b were prepared by a Bischler-Napieralski cyclization yielding O-benzyl-protected isoquinoline 10 (Scheme 1). The optical resolution of 10 was accomplished with 2′-bromotartranilic acid. The N-methylated isoquinolines were prepared by N-formylation of 10a,b and reduction of the formamides 13a,b with diborane (→ 14a,b ). Deblocking of the benzyl-ether moieties of 10a,b and 14a,b was accomplished by catalytic hydrogenation in presence of HCl, affording directly 3a,b ·HCl and 5a,b ·HCl, respectively.