Synthesis of 13β-analogs of azadiradione

Synthesis of CDE molecular fragments related to sendanin mediated by titanocene(III)

A practical, brief, and diastereoselective synthesis of limonoid CDE fragments from a readily available starting material is described. The key step was the titanocene(III)-promoted cyclization of unsaturated epoxylactones, readily prepared from α-cyclocitral. In this way, we confirm the viability of our procedure for the synthesis of a limonoid model with different functionalization patterns. We also report the antifeedant activity of epoxylactones 18 and 19, which show significant antifeedant activity against Spodoptera littoralis and Spodoptera frugiperda, two insect species with different feeding ecologies.

Function-oriented synthesis applied to the anti-botulinum natural product toosendanin

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are the etiological agents responsible for botulism, a disease characterized by peripheral neuromuscular blockade and a characteristic flaccid paralysis of humans. The natural product toosendanin is a traditional Chinese medicine which has been reported to have anti-botulinum properties in animal models. To establish what chemical functionalities are necessary for the anti-botulinum properties found within toosendanin, a study was initiated with the goal of using function-oriented synthesis (FOS) as a strategy to begin to unravel toosendanin's powerful anti-botulinum properties. From these studies a new synthetic strategy is put forth allowing access to a 4-acetoxy CD fragment analogue (14) of toosendanin, which was achieved from mesityl oxide and acetylacetone in 14 steps. Animal studies on this fragment are also reported.

Total synthesis of dumsin. 1. Retrosynthetic strategy and the elaboration of key intermediates from (--)-bornyl acetate

An intramolecular anionic oxy-Cope rearrangement (44 --> 46) serves as the key step in a synthetic approach to the insect antifeedant dumsin. Initial investigations clarified the manner in which (--)-bornyl acetate may be transformed into the exo-norbornenol 44. Two routes were developed to advance beyond 46. The first involved acetal 51 as a matrix that was expected to allow the elaboration of rings D and E. The second plan deferred oxidation of the cyclopentene ring in 46 to a later stage of molecular construction. The latter experiments formed the basis of a protocol that led to the successful acquisition of keto aldehydes typified by 108 and 114.

A stereoselective synthesis of (+/-)-C-secolimonoid BCDE model compounds related to the insect antifeedant ohchinolide

A short and stereoselective synthesis of a (+/-)-BCDE C-secolimonid model insect antifeedant related to ohchinolide and nimbolidin was accomplished in 13 (30% overall yield) and 15 (30% overall yield) steps, respectively, from ethyl drimanate. The key steps are the torquoselective electrocyclization of the divinyl ketone 6, induced by perchloric acid, and the stereoselective rearrangement of the hydroxy lactone 12, inspired in a biosynthetic proposal. An alternative route, which provides access to (+/-)-BCDE ohchinolide and nimbolidin isomers, is also described.