Total synthesis of (+)-fusarisetin A

Stereoselective Total Synthesis of (±)-Pleurospiroketals A and B

A full account of our efforts toward the stereoselective total synthesis of sesquiterpenoid-derived natural products (±)-pleurospiroketals A and B is described. Commercially available 3-methyl-2-cyclohexenone and 2,2-dimethyloxirane were used as key building blocks, and the substrate-controlled stereoselection was exploited to access the entire stereochemistry of these natural products. Initially, a planned synthetic route involving a [6,5]-bicyclic lactone intermediate was found to be insurmountable, and the later strategy comprising OsO₄-NMO-mediated dihydroxylation of 3-methyl-2-cyclohexenone, followed by Luche reduction, Eschenmoser methylenation, and Brønsted acid-induced spiroketalization steps, was ultimately identified as the reliable strategy.

Total synthesis of sesterterpenoids

Total syntheses of biologically and structurally fascinating sesterterpenoids published between Jan. 2012 and Jan. 2018 are summarized and discussed here.

Asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-astellatol and (−)-astellatene

Here we describe the full account of the total synthesis of (+)-astellatol, as well as the first total synthesis of (−)-astellatene.

Chemo-enzymatic synthesis of equisetin

We here report that the biosynthesis of equisetin, a fungal tetramate natural product with potent anti-infectious activity, relies on Fsa2, a Diels-Alderase that constructs the trans-decalin system of the molecule in a stereo-selective manner. This finding led to the development of a concise chemo-enzymatic route toward the synthesis of equisetin, which involves facile preparation of a linear polyene precursor via 7-steps and Fsa2 activity for equisetin maturation through an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction, thus exemplifying the significance of the combination of chemical and biological methods to achieve structurally complex cyclic natural products and their derivatives.