Total Synthesis of Iejimalide B

Enantioselective Synthesis of the 1,3-Dienyl-5-Alkyl-6-Oxy Motif: Method Development and Total Synthesis

The 1,3-dienyl-5-alkyl-6-oxy motif is widely found in various types of bioactive natural products. However, present synthesis is mainly non-asymmetric which relied upon different olefination or transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions using enantioenriched precursors. Herein, based upon a newly developed enantioselective α-alkylation of conjugated polyenoic acids, a variety of 1,3-dienyl-5-alkyl-6-oxy motif (with E-configured internal olefin) was generated as the corresponding α-adducts in a highly enantioselective and diastereoselective manner. Utilizing 1,3-dienyl-5-alkyl-6-oxy motif as key intermediates, we further demonstrated their synthetic potential by expedient total syntheses of three types of natural products (glutarimide antibiotics, α-pyrone polyketides and Lupin alkaloids) within 4-7 steps.

Studies toward Providencin: The Furanyl-Cyclobutanol Segment

The furanocembranoid providencin remains an unconquered bastion, although the synthesis of 17-deoxyprovidencin─lacking a single -OH group─has been accomplished in the past. This paper describes a practical approach to a properly hydroxylated building block via an iridium-catalyzed photosensitized intramolecular [2 + 2] cycloaddition as the key step. While an attempt to convert this compound into providencin via RCAM failed, it might well be elaborated into the natural product by adopting the literature route.

Lessons from Natural Product Total Synthesis: Macrocyclization and Postcyclization Strategies

Macrocyclic natural products are plentiful in the bacteria, archaea, and eukaryote domains of life. For the significant advantages that they provide to the producing organisms, evolution has learned how to implement various types of macrocyclization reactions into the different biosynthetic pathways and how to effect them with remarkable ease. Mankind greatly benefits from nature’s pool, not least because naturally occurring macrocycles or derivatives thereof serve as important drugs for the treatment of many serious ailments.

In stark contrast, macrocyclization reactions are usually perceived as difficult to accomplish by purely chemical means. While it is true that ring closure necessarily entails an entropic loss and may result in the buildup of (considerable) ring strain that must be compensated for in one way or the other, it is also fair to note tremendous methodological advances during the last decades that greatly alleviated this traditional “macrocycle challenge”. It is therefore increasingly possible to explore the advantages provided by large as well as medium-size ring systems in a more systematic manner. This venture also holds the promise of increasing the “chemical space” amenable to drug development to a considerable extent.

In consideration of this and other important long-term perspectives, it is appropriate to revisit the current state of the art. To this end, a number of vignettes are presented, each of which summarizes a total synthesis project targeting macrocyclic natural products of greatly different chemotypes using a variety of transformations to reach these goals. Although we were occasionally facing “dead ends”, which are also delineated for the sake of a complete picture, these case studies illustrate the notion that the formation of a certain macrocyclic perimeter is (usually) no longer seriously limiting. In addition to substantial progress in the “classical” repertoire (macrolactonization and macrolactamization (pateamine A, spirastrellolide, and belizentrin)), various metal-catalyzed reactions have arguably led to the greatest leaps forward. Among them, palladium-catalyzed C–C bond formation (roseophilin and nominal xestocyclamine A) and, in particular, alkene and alkyne metathesis stand out (iejimalide, spirastrellolide, enigmazole, ingenamine, and sinulariadiolide). In some cases, different methods were pursued in parallel, thus allowing for a critical assessment and comparison.

To the extent that the macrocyclic challenge is vanishing, the opportunity arises to focus attention on the postmacrocyclization phase. One may stipulate that a well-designed cyclization precursor does not only ensure efficient ring closure but also fosters and streamlines the steps that come after the event. One way to do so is dual (multiple) use in that the functional groups serving the actual cyclization reaction also find productive applications downstream from it rather than being subject to simple defunctionalization. In this context, better insight into the conformational peculiarities of large rings and the growing confidence in their accessibility in a stereochemically well defined format rejuvenate the implementation of transannular reactions or reaction cascades that can lead to rapid and substantial increases in molecular complexity. The examples summarized herein showcase such possibilities, with special emphasis on tranannular gold catalysis and the emerging ruthenium-catalyzed trans-hydrometalation chemistry for the selective functionalization of alkynes.

Design and Synthesis of Anti-Cancer Chimera Molecules Based on Marine Natural Products

In this paper, the chemical conjugation of marine natural products with other bioactive molecules for developing an advanced anti-cancer agent is described. Structural complexity and the extraordinary biological features of marine natural products have led to tremendous research in isolation, structural elucidation, synthesis, and pharmacological evaluation. In addition, this basic scientific achievement has made it possible to hybridize two or more biologically important skeletons into a single compound. The hybridization strategy has been used to identify further opportunities to overcome certain limitations, such as structural complexity, scarcity problems, poor solubility, severe toxicity, and weak potency of marine natural products for advanced development in drug discovery. Further, well-designed marine chimera molecules can function as a platform for target discovery or degradation. In this review, the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of recent marine chimera molecules are presented.

Modular Approaches to Diversified Soft Lewis Basic Complexants through Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling of Bromoheteroarenes with Organotrifluoroborates

Remediation or transmutation of spent nuclear fuel obtained as a function of energy production and legacy waste remains a significant environmental concern. Substantive efforts over the last three decades have focused on the potential of soft-Lewis basic complexants for the chemoselective separation of trivalent actinides from lanthanides in biphasic solvent systems. Recent efforts in this laboratory have focused on the concept of modularity to rapidly prepare complexants and complexant scaffolds not easily accessible via traditional linear methods in a convergent manner to better understand solubility and complexation structure/activity function in process-relevant solvents. The current work describes an efficient method for the construction of diversified complexants through multi-Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of bromoheteroarenes with organotrifluoroborates affording efficient access to 22 novel materials in 43-99% yield over two, three, or four cross-couplings on the same scaffold. Optimization of the catalyst/ligand system, application, and limitations are reported herein.

Iejimalide C is a potent V-ATPase inhibitor, and induces actin disorganization

Iejimalides (IEJLs) A-D are 24-membered macrolides isolated from a tunicate Eudistoma cf. rigida, and exhibit potent cytotoxicity in vitro and antitumor activity in vivo. We previously reported that the molecular target of IEJL-A and -B was the vacuolar-type H(+)-ATPases (V-ATPases). However IEJL-C and -D, which are sulfonylated IEJL-A and -B, respectively, show more potent antitumor activity, and their molecular targets remain to be discovered. Here, we report that IEJL-C is also a potent V-ATPase inhibitor by binding in a site similar to the bafilomycin-binding site. Two-hour treatment with IEJL-C resulted in the complete disappearance of acidic organelles in HeLa cells. Interestingly, after 24-h treatment, small actin aggregates were observed instead of actin fibers. The same actin reorganization was also observed in cells treated with another V-ATPase inhibitor, bafilomycin A1. Because IEJLs did not inhibit actin polymerization in vitro, these results suggest that the primary target of IEJL-C, as well as IEJL-A and -B, is V-ATPase, and actin reorganizations are probably caused by the disruption of pH homeostasis via V-ATPase inhibition.

Linchpin dienes: key building-blocks in the synthesis of polyenic frameworks

This review focuses on the preparation of dienic linchpin reagents and on their use in the synthesis of polyenic frameworks.

Ruthenium-catalyzed reductive coupling of 1,3-enynes and aldehydes by transfer hydrogenation: anti-diastereoselective carbonyl propargylation

Under the conditions of ruthenium-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation employing isopropanol as a source of hydrogen, isopropoxy-substituted enyne 1 b and aldehydes 3 a-3 l engage in reductive coupling to provide products of propargylation 4 a-4 l with good to complete levels of anti-diastereoselectivity. The unprotected tertiary hydroxy moiety of isopropoxy enyne 1 b is required to enforce diastereoselectivity. Deuterium-labeling studies corroborate reversible enyne hydrometalation in advance of carbonyl addition. As demonstrated in the conversion of 4 f-h and 4 k to 5 f-h and 5 k, the isopropoxy group of the product is readily cleaved upon exposure to aqueous sodium hydroxide to reveal the terminal alkyne.

Constructing molecular complexity and diversity: total synthesis of natural products of biological and medicinal importance

The advent of organic synthesis and the understanding of the molecule as they occurred in the nineteenth century and were refined in the twentieth century constitute two of the most profound scientific developments of all time. These discoveries set in motion a revolution that shaped the landscape of the molecular sciences and changed the world. Organic synthesis played a major role in this revolution through its ability to construct the molecules of the living world and others like them whose primary element is carbon. Although the early beginnings of organic synthesis came about serendipitously, organic chemists quickly recognized its potential and moved decisively to advance and exploit it in myriad ways for the benefit of mankind. Indeed, from the early days of the synthesis of urea and the construction of the first carbon-carbon bond, the art of organic synthesis improved to impressively high levels of sophistication. Through its practice, today chemists can synthesize organic molecules--natural and designed--of all types of structural motifs and for all intents and purposes. The endeavor of constructing natural products--the organic molecules of nature--is justly called both a creative art and an exact science. Often called simply total synthesis, the replication of nature's molecules in the laboratory reflects and symbolizes the state of the art of synthesis in general. In the last few decades a surge in total synthesis endeavors around the world led to a remarkable collection of achievements that covers a wide ranging landscape of molecular complexity and diversity. In this article, we present highlights of some of our contributions in the field of total synthesis of natural products of biological and medicinal importance. For perspective, we also provide a listing of selected examples of additional natural products synthesized in other laboratories around the world over the last few years.

Total synthesis of iejimalide B

Iejimalide B, a structurally unique 24-membered polyene macrolide having a previously underutilized mode of anticancer activity, was synthesized according to a strategy employing Julia-Kocienski olefinations, a palladium-catalyzed Heck reaction, a palladium-catalyzed Marshall propargylation, a Keck-type esterification, and a palladium-catalyzed macrolide-forming, intramolecular Stille coupling of a highly complex cyclization substrate. The overall synthesis is efficient (19.5% overall yield for 15 linear steps) and allows for more practical scaled-up synthesis than previously reported strategies that differed in the order of assembly of key subunits and in the method of macrocyclization. The present synthesis paves the way for efficient preparation of analogues for drug development efforts.

Cyclic 1,2-diketones as core building blocks: a strategy for the total synthesis of (-)-terpestacin

We report a full account of our work towards the total synthesis of (-)-terpestacin (1), a sesterterpene originally isolated from fungal strain Arthrinium sp. FA1744. Its promising anti-HIV and anti-cancer activity, as well as its novel structure, make terpestacin an attractive synthetic target. A strategy based on the unique reactivity of cyclic 1,2-diketones (diosphenols) was developed and total synthesis of 1 was achieved in 20 steps, in the longest linear sequence, from commercially available 2-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one. The key feature of our synthesis is the double usage of a "Pd AAA-Claisen" protocol (AAA=asymmetric allylic alkylation), first in the early stages to generate the C1 quaternary center and then in the late stages to install the side chain. In addition, a rather unusual ene-1,2-dione moiety was synthesized and utilized as an excellent Michael acceptor to attach the C15 substituent. Several possible routes towards the total synthesis have been examined and carefully evaluated. During our exploration many interesting chemoselectivity issues have been addressed, such as a highly selective ring-closing metathesis and a challenging oxidation of a disubstituted olefin in the presence of three trisubstituted ones.

Iejimalides A and B inhibit lysosomal vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) activity and induce S-phase arrest and apoptosis in MCF-7 cells

Iejimalides are novel macrolides that are cytostatic or cytotoxic against a wide range of cancer cells at low nanomolar concentrations. A recent study by our laboratory characterized the expression of genes and proteins that determine the downstream effects of iejimalide B. However, little is known about the cellular target(s) of iejimalide or downstream signaling that lead to cell-cycle arrest and/or apoptosis. Iejimalides have been shown to inhibit the activity of vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase) in osteoclasts, but how this inhibition may lead to cell-cycle arrest and/or apoptosis in epithelial cells is not known. In this study, MCF-7 breast cancer cells were treated with iejimalide A or B and analyzed for changes in cell-cycle dynamics, apoptosis, lysosomal pH, cytoplasmic pH, mitochondrial membrane potential, and generation of reactive oxygen species. Both iejimalides A and B sequentially neutralize the pH of lysosomes, induce S-phase cell-cycle arrest, and trigger apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. Apoptosis occurs through a mechanism that involves oxidative stress and mitochondrial depolarization but not cytoplasmic acidification. These data confirm that iejimalides inhibit V-ATPase activity in the context of epithelial tumor cells, and that this inhibition may lead to a lysosome-initiated cell death process.

Total synthesis and biological evaluation of the cytotoxic resin glycosides ipomoeassin A-F and analogues

A multitasking C-silylation strategy using the readily available compound 26 as a surrogate for cinnamic acid represents the key design element of a total synthesis of all known members of the ipomoeassin family of resin glyosides. This protecting group maneuver allows the unsaturated acids decorating the glucose subunit of the targets to be attached at an early phase of the synthesis, prevents their participation in the ruthenium-catalyzed ring-closing metathesis (RCM) used to form the macrocyclic ring, and protects them against reduction during the hydrogenation of the resulting cycloalkene over Wilkinson's catalyst. As the C-silyl group can be concomitantly removed with the O-TBS substituent using tris(dimethylamino)sulfonium difluorotrimethylsilicate (TASF) in acetonitrile, no separate protecting group manipulations were necessary in the final stages, thus contributing to a favorable overall "economy of steps". In addition to the naturally occurring ipomoeassins, a small set of synthetic analogues has also been prepared by "diverted total synthesis". The cytotoxicity of these compounds was assayed with two different cancer cell lines. The recorded data confirm previous findings that the acylation- and oxygenation pattern of these amphiphilic glycoconjugates is highly correlated with their biological activity profile. Ipomoeassin F turned out to be the most promising member of the series, showing IC(50) values in the low nanomolar range.

Marine natural products

This review covers the literature published in 2007 for marine natural products, with 948 citations(627 for the period January to December 2007) referring to compounds isolated from marine microorganisms and phytoplankton, green algae, brown algae, red algae, sponges, cnidarians,bryozoans, molluscs, tunicates, echinoderms and true mangrove plants. The emphasis is on new compounds (961 for 2007), together with the relevant biological activities, source organisms and country of origin. Biosynthetic studies, first syntheses, and syntheses that lead to the revision of structures or stereochemistries, have been included.1 Introduction, 2 Reviews, 3 Marine microorganisms and phytoplankton, 4 Green algae, 5 Brown algae, 6 Red algae, 7 Sponges, 8 Cnidarians, 9 Bryozoans, 10 Molluscs, 11 Tunicates (ascidians),12 Echinoderms, 13 Miscellaneous, 14 Conclusion, 15 References.

Marine natural products

This review covers the literature published in 2006 for marine natural products, with 758 citations (534 for the period January to December 2006) referring to compounds isolated from marine microorganisms and phytoplankton, green algae, brown algae, red algae, sponges, cnidaria, bryozoans, molluscs, tunicates and echinoderms. The emphasis is on new compounds (779 for 2006), together with their relevant biological activities, source organisms and country of origin. Biosynthetic studies, first syntheses, and syntheses that lead to the revision of structures or stereochemistries, have been included.

Total Synthesis of Myxovirescin A1

A convergent total synthesis of the antibiotic macrolide myxovirescin A1 (1) is described that is largely based on reagent- and catalyst-controlled transformations. This includes a highly regioselective Negishi reaction of dibromo-alkene 48 with an alkynylzinc reagent, and a palladium catalyzed alkyl-Suzuki coupling of the resulting enyne derivative 12 with the 9-BBN-adduct derived from alkene 61. The latter was obtained via an asymmetric hydrogenation of the chlorinated beta-ketoester 49 and an anti-selective oxyallylation of the functionalized aldehyde 53 as the key steps. The preparation of the bis-borylated allyl-donor 57 used in the oxyallylation step, however, required careful optimization and led to important insights into the nature of the classical hydroborating agent "di(isopinocampheyl)borane (Ipc2BH)". It was unambiguously shown by X-ray crystallography that in the solid state this compound is dimeric, but it is prone to undergo an essentially quantitative mono-deborylation when dissolved in CH2Cl2 or benzene; its composition in ethereal solvents is even more complex as evident from 11B NMR data. Product 71 derived from 12 and 61 was elaborated into the enyne-yne derivative 75, which served as the substrate for an exquisitely selective ring closing alkyne metathesis reaction (RCAM) catalyzed by the molybdenum tris-amido complex 20 activated in situ with CH2Cl2. The resulting cyclic enyne 76 was subjected to a ruthenium catalyzed trans-hydrosilylation/proto-desilylation tandem. Although [Cp*Ru(MeCN)3]PF6 had previously been recommended as catalyst of choice for trans-hydrosilylation reactions of internal alkynes, this complex failed to afford the desired product, whereas its sterically less hindered congener [CpRu(MeCN)3]PF6 permitted the reaction to be performed in appreciable yield, but at the expense of a lower stereoselectivity. AgF-mediated proto-desilylation of the isomeric silanes 79 and 80 followed by cleavage of the remaining acetal protecting groups afforded myxovirescin A1 and its hitherto unknown 14Z-isomer 81, respectively.

Total Synthesis of Amphidinolide E and Amphidinolide E Stereoisomers

Four amphidinolide E stereoisomers, amphidinolide E (1), 2-epi-amphidinolide E (2), 19-epi-amphidinolide E (3), and 2-epi-19-epi-amphidinolide E (4), have been synthesized via the judicious union of aldehyde 5, allylsilanes 7 or 8, acids 9 or 10, and vinylstannane 6. The C19 stereocenters of the C19 epimeric allylsilanes 7 and 8 were introduced via crotylboration reactions early in the synthesis. [3+2]-Annulation reactions of aldehyde 5 with allylsilanes 7 and 8 were employed to set the core tetrahydrofuran units of 1-4. Finally, the C2 stereocenter was installed by esterification using acid 9, without incident, or with acid 10, in which case an unexpected and completely stereoselective inversion of C2 occurs.

Synthesis of carbamate derivatives of iejimalides. Retention of normal antiproliferative activity and localization of binding in cancer cells

The syntheses of six iejimalide carbamate derivatives are described. Their biological activity and those of the unmodified iejimalides A and B against breast and prostate cancer cell lines were determined. These results show that the serine hydroxyl group of iejimalides A and B is a permissive site that can be functionalized to form carbamate derivatives without significant loss of normal biological activity. This method of derivatization will be valuable for cellular target identification, mechanism of action studies, and drug development efforts. A fluorescent derivative does not exhibit binding to the cytoskeletal features of cancer cells.

Total Synthesis, Molecular Editing and Evaluation of a Tripyrrolic Natural Product: The Case of “Butylcycloheptylprodigiosin”

Conflicting reports are found in the literature on whether the ortho-pyrrolophane derivative 6, which has been named "butylcycloheptylprodigiosin" even though it is a cyclononane derivative, is a natural product or merely a mis-assigned structure. This dispute has now been resolved by an unambiguous total synthesis of this complex alkaloid which confirms the initial structure assignment. The chosen approach is largely catalysis-based, featuring the first application of a "Narasaka-Heck" reaction in natural product chemistry. This palladium-catalyzed transformation allows the unsaturated oxime ester 26 to be converted into the bicyclic dihydropyrrole 27. Other notable reactions of the reported approach to 6 are a regioselective Tsuji-Trost reaction of the doubly allylic acetate 21 with methyl acetoacetate, a base-induced aromatization of 27 to the corresponding pyrrole 28, a chemoselective oxidation of the benzylic methyl group in 33 with cerium ammonium nitrate in a biphasic reaction medium that does not affect the labile pyrrole nucleus, and a Suzuki cross-coupling for the completion of the heterocyclic domain. Diversification in the latter step leads to a set of analogues that differ from the natural product in the terminal (hetero)arene ring. This structural modification results in complete loss of the very pronounced ability of the parent compound 6 to induce oxidative cleavage in double stranded DNA in the presence of Cu(II). Several cyclononane-, cyclononene- and cyclononadiene derivatives prepared en route to 6 have been characterized by crystal structure analysis, allowing the conformational behavior of nine-membered carbocycles to be studied.

Total Syntheses of the Actin-Binding Macrolides Latrunculin A, B, C, M, S and 16-epi-Latrunculin B

The latrunculins are highly selective actin-binding marine natural products and as such play an important role as probe molecules for chemical biology. A short, concise and largely catalysis-based approach to this family of bioactive macrolides is presented. Specifically, the macrocyclic skeletons of the targets were forged by ring-closing alkyne metathesis (RCAM) or enyne-yne metathesis of suitable diyne or enyne-yne precursors, respectively. This transformation was best achieved with the aid of [(tBu)(Me(2)C(6)H(3))N](3)Mo (37) as precatalyst activated in situ with CH(2)Cl(2), as previously described. This catalyst system is strictly chemoselective for the triple bond and does not affect the olefinic sites of the substrates. Moreover, the molybdenum-based catalyst turned out to be broader in scope than the Schrock alkylidyne complex [(tBuO)(3)W[triple chemical bond]CCMe(3)] (38), which afforded cycloalkyne 35 in good yield but failed in closely related cases. The required metathesis precursors were assembled in a highly convergent fashion from three building blocks derived from acetoacetate, cysteine, and (+)-citronellene. The key fragment coupling can either be performed via a titanium aldol reaction or, preferentially, by a sequence involving a Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons olefination followed by a protonation/cyclization/diastereoselective hydration cascade. Iron-catalyzed C--C-bond formations were used to prepare the basic building blocks in an efficient manner. This synthesis blueprint gave access to latrunculin B (2), its naturally occurring 16-epimer 3, as well as the even more potent actin binder latrunculin A (1) in excellent overall yields. Because of the sensitivity of the 1,3-diene motif of the latter, however, the judicious choice of protecting groups and the proper phasing of their cleavage was decisive for the success of the total synthesis. Since latrunculin A and B had previously been converted into latrunculin S, C and M, respectively, formal total syntheses of these congeners have also been achieved. Finally, a previously unknown acid-catalyzed degradation pathway of these bioactive natural products is described. The cysteine-derived ketone 18, the tetrahydropyranyl segment 31 serving as the common synthesis platform for the preparation of all naturally occurring latrunculins, as well as the somewhat strained cycloalkyne 35 formed by the RCAM reaction en route to 2 were characterized by X-ray crystallography.

Latrunculin Analogues with Improved Biological Profiles by “Diverted Total Synthesis”: Preparation, Evaluation, and Computational Analysis

Deliberate digression from the blueprint of the total syntheses of latrunculin A (1) and latrunculin B (2) reported in the accompanying paper allowed for the preparation of a focused library of "latrunculin-like" compounds, in which all characteristic structural elements of these macrolides were subject to pertinent molecular editing. Although all previously reported derivatives of 1 and 2 were essentially devoid of any actin-binding capacity, the synthetic compounds presented herein remain fully functional. One of the designer molecules with a relaxed macrocyclic backbone, that is compound 44, even surpasses latrunculin B in its effect on actin while being much easier to prepare. This favorable result highlights the power of "diverted total synthesis" as compared to the much more widely practiced chemical modification of a given lead compound by conventional functional group interconversion. A computational study was carried out to rationalize the observed effects. The analysis of the structure of the binding site occupied by the individual ligands on the G-actin host shows that latrunculin A and 44 both have similar hydrogen-bond network strengths and present similar ligand distortion. In contrast, the H-bond network is weaker for latrunculin B and the distortion of the ligand from its optimum geometry is larger. From this, one may expect that the binding ability follows the order 1 >/= 44 > 2, which is in accord with the experimental data. Furthermore, the biological results provide detailed insights into structure/activity relationships characteristic for the latrunculin family. Thus, it is demonstrated that the highly conserved thiazolidinone ring of the natural products can be replaced by an oxazolidinone moiety, and that inversion of the configuration at C16 (latrunculin B numbering) is also well accommodated. From a purely chemical perspective, this study attests to the maturity of ring-closing alkyne metathesis (RCAM) catalyzed by a molybdenum alkylidyne complex generated in situ, which constitutes a valuable tool for advanced organic synthesis and natural product chemistry.