Total Synthesis and Structural Revision of (+)-Uprolide G Acetate

The Tetrahydrofuran Motif in Marine Lipids and Terpenes

Heterocycles are particularly common moieties within marine natural products. Specifically, tetrahydrofuranyl rings are present in a variety of compounds which present complex structures and interesting biological activities. Focusing on terpenoids, a high number of tetrahydrofuran-containing metabolites have been isolated during the last decades. They show promising biological activities, making them potential leads for novel antibiotics, antikinetoplastid drugs, amoebicidal substances, or anticancer drugs. Thus, they have attracted the attention of the synthetics community and numerous approaches to their total syntheses have appeared. Here, we offer the reader an overview of marine-derived terpenoids and related compounds, their isolation, structure determination, and a special focus on their total syntheses and biological profiles.

The Increasing Value of Biomass: Moving From C6 Carbohydrates to Multifunctionalized Building Blocks via 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural

Recent decades have been marked by enormous progress in the field of synthesis and chemistry of 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF), an important platform chemical widely recognized as the "sleeping giant" of sustainable chemistry. This multifunctional furanic compound is viewed as a strong link for the transition from the current fossil-based industry to a sustainable one. However, the low chemical stability of HMF significantly undermines its synthetic potential. A possible solution to this problem is synthetic diversification of HMF by modifying it into more stable multifunctional building blocks for further synthetic purposes.

Artemisians A-D, Diseco-guaianolide Involved Heterodimeric [4 + 2] Adducts from Artemisia argyi

Artemisians A-D (1-4), the first examples of [4 + 2] Diels-Alder type adducts presumably biosynthesized from a rare 1, 10-4, 5-diseco-guaianolide and a guaianolide diene, along with their possible precursor 5, were isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Artemisia argyi. The structures of 1-4 were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses and calculated electronic circular dichroism. Compound 2, with an IC₅₀ value of 3.21 μM, exhibited significant antiproliferative activity via apoptosis induction and G2/M arrest in MDA-MB-468 cells.