A Chiral Pool Based Synthesis of Platensimycin

Asymmetric Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Platensilin, Platensimycin, Platencin, and Their Analogs via a Bioinspired Skeletal Reconstruction Approach

Platensilin, platensimycin, and platencin are potent inhibitors of β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase (FabF) in the bacterial and mammalian fatty acid synthesis system, presenting promising drug leads for both antibacterial and antidiabetic therapies. Herein, a bioinspired skeleton reconstruction approach is reported, which enables the unified synthesis of these three natural FabF inhibitors and their skeletally diverse analogs, all stemming from a common ent-pimarane core. The synthesis features a diastereoselective biocatalytic reduction and an intermolecular Diels-Alder reaction to prepare the common ent-pimarane core. From this intermediate, stereoselective Mn-catalyzed hydrogen atom-transfer hydrogenation and subsequent Cu-catalyzed carbenoid C-H insertion afford platensilin. Furthermore, the intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction succeeded by regioselective ring opening of the newly formed cyclopropane enables the construction of the bicyclo[3.2.1]-octane and bicyclo[2.2.2]-octane ring systems of platensimycin and platencin, respectively. This skeletal reconstruction approach of the ent-pimarane core facilitates the preparation of analogs bearing different polycyclic scaffolds. Among these analogs, the previously unexplored cyclopropyl analog 47 exhibits improved antibacterial activity (MIC80 = 0.0625 μg/mL) against S. aureus compared to platensimycin.

Resolution of Halogenated Mandelic Acids through Enantiospecific Co-Crystallization with Levetiracetam

The resolution of halogenated mandelic acids using levetiracetam (LEV) as a resolving agent via forming enantiospecific co-crystal was presented. Five halogenated mandelic acids, 2-chloromandelic acid (2-ClMA), 3-chloromandelic acid (3-ClMA), 4-chloromandelic acid (4-ClMA), 4-bromomandelic acid (4-BrMA), and 4-fluoromandelic acid (4-FMA), were selected as racemic compounds. The effects of the equilibrium time, molar ratio of the resolving agent to racemate, amount of solvent, and crystallization temperature on resolution performance were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, the resolution efficiency reached up to 94% and the enantiomeric excess (%e.e.) of (R)-3-chloromandelic acid was 63%e.e. All five halogenated mandelic acids of interest in this study can be successfully separated by LEV via forming enantiospecific co-crystal, but the resolution performance is significantly different. The results showed that LEV selectively co-crystallized with S enantiomers of 2-ClMA, 3-ClMA, 4-ClMA, and 4-BrMA, while it co-crystallized with R enantiomers of 4-FMA. This indicates that the position and type of substituents of racemic compounds not only affect the co-crystal configuration, but also greatly affect the efficiency of co-crystal resolution.

Navigating the Chiral Pool in the Total Synthesis of Complex Terpene Natural Products

The pool of abundant chiral terpene building blocks (i.e., "chiral pool terpenes") has long served as a starting point for the chemical synthesis of complex natural products, including many terpenes themselves. As inexpensive and versatile starting materials, such compounds continue to influence modern synthetic chemistry. This review highlights 21st century terpene total syntheses which themselves use small, terpene-derived materials as building blocks. An outlook to the future of research in this area is highlighted as well.

A Review on Platensimycin: A Selective FabF Inhibitor

Emerging resistance to existing antibiotics is an inevitable matter of concern in the treatment of bacterial infection. Naturally occurring unique class of natural antibiotic, platensimycin, a secondary metabolite from Streptomyces platensis, is an excellent breakthrough in recent antibiotic research with unique structural pattern and significant antibacterial activity. β-Ketoacyl-(acyl-carrier-protein (ACP)) synthase (FabF) whose Gram-positive bacteria need to biosynthesize cell membranes is the target of inhibition of platensimycin. So, isolation, retrosynthetic analysis, synthesis of platensimycin, and analogues of platensimycin synthesized till today are the objectives of this review which may be helpful to further investigate and to reveal untouched area on this molecule and to obtain a potential antibacterial lead with enhanced significant antibacterial activity.

Total synthesis of natural products using hypervalent iodine reagents

We present a review of natural product syntheses accomplished in our laboratory during the last 5 years. Each synthetic route features a phenol dearomatization promoted by an environmentally benign hypervalent iodine reagent. The dearomatizations demonstrate the "aromatic ring umpolung" concept, and involve stereoselective remodeling of the inert unsaturations of a phenol into a highly functionalized key intermediate that may contain a quaternary carbon center and a prochiral dienone system. Several new oxidative strategies were employed, including transpositions (1,3-alkyl shift and Prins-pinacol), a polycyclization, an ipso rearrangement, and direct nucleophilic additions at the phenol para position. Several alkaloids, heterocyclic compounds, and a polycyclic core have been achieved, including sceletenone (a serotonin reuptake inhibitor), acetylaspidoalbidine (an antitumor agent), fortucine (antiviral and antitumor), erysotramidine (curare-like effect), platensimycin (an antibiotic), and the main core of a kaurane diterpene (immunosuppressive agent and stimulator of apoptosis). These concise and in some cases enantioselective syntheses effectively demonstrate the importance of hypervalent iodine reagents in the total synthesis of bioactive natural products.

Formal synthesis of (−)-platensimycin

An efficient formal synthesis of (−)-platensimycin was completed by using a tandem C–H oxidation/C–C coupling (cyclization)/rearrangement as the key step.

Syntheses and antibacterial properties of iso-platencin, Cl-iso-platencin and Cl-platencin: identification of a new lead structure

Platencin is a novel antibiotic which is active against multiresistant pathogens. We describe efficient syntheses of three platencin analogues of varying activities which allow further conclusions about the pharmacophoric part of the molecule. The unnatural antibiotic iso-platencin, which is about as active as natural platencin, but much more selective, was identified as a new lead structure.

Discovery and syntheses of "superbug challengers"-platensimycin and platencin

Bacteria have developed resistance to almost all existing antibiotics known today and this has been a major issue over the last few decades. The search for a new class of antibiotics with a new mode of action to fight these multiply-drug-resistant strains, or "superbugs", allowed a team of scientists at Merck to discover two novel antibiotics, platensimycin and platencin using advanced screening strategies, as inhibitors of bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis, which is essential for the survival of bacteria. Though both these antibiotics are structurally related, they work by slightly different mechanisms and target different enzymes conserved in the bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis. This Focus Review summarizes the synthetic and biological aspects of these natural products and their analogues and congeners.

7-Phenylplatensimycin and 11-methyl-7-phenylplatensimycin: more potent analogs of platensimycin

Carbonyl ylide cycloaddition strategy was employed in the synthesis of platensimycin analogs. 7-Phenylplatensimycin and 11-methyl-7-phenylplatensimycin are more potent analogs of platensimycin.

Synthesis and antibacterial properties of (-)-nor-platencin

An asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction between acrolein and 1-benzyloxymethyl-1,3-cyclohexadiene affords a bicyclic aldehyde that was elaborated in 11 steps to nor-platencin. nor-Platencin is 4-16 times less active than platencin against several resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, macrolide-resistant Enterococcus faecalis, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium.

Total synthesis of platensimycin and related natural products

Platensimycin is the flagship member of a new and growing class of antibiotics with promising antibacterial properties against drug-resistant bacteria. The total syntheses of platensimycin and its congeners, platensimycins B(1) and B(3), platensic acid, methyl platensinoate, platensimide A, homoplatensimide A, and homoplatensimide A methyl ester, are described. The convergent strategy developed toward these target molecules involved construction of their cage-like core followed by attachment of the various side chains through amide bond formation. In addition to a racemic synthesis, two asymmetric routes to the core structure are described: one exploiting a rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric cycloisomerization, and another employing a hypervalent iodine-mediated de-aromatizing cyclization of an enantiopure substrate. The final two bonds of the core structure were forged through a samarium diiodide-mediated ketyl radical cyclization and an acid-catalyzed etherification. The rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric reaction involving a terminal acetylene was developed as a general method for the asymmetric cycloisomerization of terminal enynes.

Total syntheses of (+/-)-platencin and (-)-platencin

The secondary metabolites platensimycin and platencin, isolated from the bacterial strain Streptomyces platensis, represent a novel class of natural products exhibiting unique and potent antibacterial activity. Platencin, though structurally similar to platensimycin, has been found to operate through a slightly different mechanism of action involving the dual inhibition of lipid elongation enzymes FabF and FabH. Both natural products exhibit strong, broad-spectrum, gram-positive antibacterial activity to key antibiotic resistant strains, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. Described herein are our synthetic efforts toward platencin, culminating in both racemic and asymmetric preparation of the natural product. The syntheses demonstrate the power of the cobalt-catalyzed asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction and the one-pot reductive rearrangement of [3.2.1] bicyclic ketones to [2.2.2] bicyclic olefins.

Isoplatensimycin: Synthesis and biological evaluation

Isoplatensimycin, a novel analog of platensimycin, was synthesized via intramolecular dipolar cycloaddition of a carbonyl ylide. Isoplatensimycin showed little activities against strains of Staphylococcus aureus, but exhibited activities against some vancomycin-resistant enteroccoci.