Total Synthesis of Spinosyn A. 2. Degradation Studies Involving the Pure Factor and Its Complete Reconstitution

A Semisynthesis Platform for the Efficient Production and Exploration of Didemnin-Based Drugs

Plitidepsin (or dehydrodidemnin B), an approved anticancer drug, belongs to the didemnin family of cyclic depsipeptides, which are found in limited quantities in marine tunicate extracts. Herein, we introduce a new approach that integrates microbial and chemical synthesis to generate plitidepsin and its analogues. We screened a Tistrella strain library to identify a potent didemnin B producer, and then introduced a second copy of the didemnin biosynthetic gene cluster into its genome, resulting in a didemnin B titer of approximately 75 mg/L. Next, we developed two straightforward chemical strategies to convert didemnin B into plitidepsin, one of which involved a one-step synthetic route giving over 90 % overall yield. Furthermore, we synthesized 13 new didemnin derivatives and three didemnin probes, enabling research into structure-activity relationships and interactions between didemnin and proteins. Our study highlights the synergistic potential of biosynthesis and chemical synthesis in overcoming the challenge of producing complex natural products sustainably and at scale.

Palladium-Catalyzed Carbonylations: Application in Complex Natural Product Total Synthesis and Recent Developments

Carbon monoxide is a cheap and abundant C1 building block that can be readily incorporated into organic molecules to rapidly build structural complexity. In this Perspective, we outline several recent (since 2015) examples of palladium-catalyzed carbonylations in streamlining complex natural product total synthesis and highlight the strategic importance of these carbonylation reactions in the corresponding synthesis. The selected examples include spinosyn A, callyspongiolide, perseanol, schizozygane alkaloids, cephanolides, and bisdehydroneostemoninine and related stemona alkaloids. We also provide our perspective about the recent advancements and future developments of palladium-catalyzed carbonylations.

Photoredox Organocatalysis for the Enantioselective Synthesis of 1,7-Dicarbonyl Compounds

We describe an asymmetric organocatalytic method to synthesize 1,7-dicarbonyl compounds containing a β-stereocenter. The chemistry relies on the formation of γ-keto radicals, generated upon oxidative ring opening of cyclobutanols mastered by an organic photoredox catalyst. These nonstabilized primary radicals are stereoselectively intercepted by an iminium ion intermediate, formed upon activation of aliphatic and aromatic enals by a chiral secondary amine catalyst. This organocatalytic photoredox method served to prepare scaffolds found in natural products and drug molecules.

General Method for the Synthesis of α- or β-Deoxyaminoglycosides Bearing Basic Nitrogen

The introduction of glycosides bearing basic nitrogen is challenging using conventional Lewis acid-promoted pathways owing to competitive coordination of the amine to the Lewis acid promoter. Additionally, because many aminoglycosides lack a C2 substituent, diastereomeric mixtures of O-glycosides are often produced. Herein, we present a method for the synthesis of α- or β- 2,3,6-trideoxy-3-amino- and 2,4,6-trideoxy-4-amino O-glycosides from a common precursor. Our strategy proceeds by the reductive lithiation of thiophenyl glycoside donors and trapping of the resulting anomeric anions with 2-methyltetrahydropyranyl peroxides. We apply this strategy to the synthesis of α- and β-forosamine, pyrrolosamine, acosamine, and ristosamine derivatives using primary and secondary peroxides as electrophiles. α-Linked products are obtained in 60-96% yield and with >50:1 selectivity. β-Linked products are obtained in 45-94% yield and with 1.7->50:1 stereoselectivity. Contrary to donors bearing an equatorial amine substituent, donors bearing an axial amine substituent favored β-products at low temperatures. This work establishes a general strategy to synthesize O-glycosides bearing a basic nitrogen.

Discovery of highly insecticidal synthetic spinosyn mimics - CAMD enabled de novo design simplifying a complex natural product

Simplifying complex natural products: Computer modeling-based design leads to highly insecticidal, chemically simpler synthetic mimics of the spinosyn natural products that are active in the field. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Gold-catalyzed glycosylation in the synthesis of complex carbohydrate-containing natural products

Gold(i)- and gold(iii)-catalyzed glycosylation reactions and their application in the synthesis of natural glycoconjugates are reviewed.

A semisynthesis of 3'-O-ethyl-5,6-dihydrospinosyn J based on the spinosyn A aglycone

Spinetoram, a mixture of 3'-O-ethyl-5,6-dihydrospinosyn J (XDE-175-J, major component) and 3'-O-ethylspinosyn L (XDE-175-L, minor component), is a novel kind of green and efficient insecticide with a broad range of action against various insects. Nowadays, spinetoram is widely used in agriculture and food storage. This work reports a 7-step semisynthesis of 3'-O-ethyl-5,6-dihydrospinosyn J from spinosyn A aglycone. The C9-OH and C17-OH of the aglycone are successively connected to 3-O-ethyl-2,4-di-O-methylrhamnose and D-forosamine after selective protection and deprotection steps. Then, with 10% Pd/C as catalyst, the 5,6-double bond of the macrolide was selectively reduced to afford 3'-O-ethyl-5,6-dihydrospinosyn J. In addition, the 3-O-ethyl-2,4-di-O-methylrhamnose is synthesized from rhamnose which is available commercially, while the D-forosamine and aglycone are obtained via the hydrolysis of spinosyn A. High yields were obtained in each step, and all intermediates in the synthesis were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and MS techniques. This study can be helpful for developing an efficient chemical synthesis of spinetoram, and it also offers opportunities to synthesize spinosyn analogues and rhamnose derivatives.

Natural [4 + 2]-Cyclases

[4 + 2]-Cycloadditions are increasingly being recognized in the biosynthetic pathways of many structurally complex natural products. A relatively small collection of enzymes from these pathways have been demonstrated to increase rates of cyclization and impose stereochemical constraints on the reactions. While mechanistic investigation of these enzymes is just beginning, recent studies have provided new insights with implications for understanding their biosynthetic roles, mechanisms of catalysis, and evolutionary origin.

Total Synthesis of (-)-Spinosyn A via Carbonylative Macrolactonization

Spinosyn A (1), a complex natural product featuring a unique 5,6,5,12-fused tetracyclic core structure, is the major component of spinosad, an organic insecticide and an FDA-approved agent used worldwide. Herein, we report an efficient total synthesis of (-)-spinosyn A with 15 steps in the longest linear sequence and 23 steps total from readily available compounds 14 and 23. The synthetic approach features several important catalytic transformations including a chiral amine-catalyzed intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction to afford 22 in excellent diastereoselectivity, a one-step gold-catalyzed propargylic acetate rearrangement to convert 28 to α-iodoenone 31, an unprecedented palladium-catalyzed carbonylative Heck macrolactonization to form the 5,12-fused macrolactone in one step, and a gold-catalyzed Yu glycosylation to install the challenging β-forosamine. This total synthesis is highly convergent and modular, thus offering opportunities to synthesize spinosyn analogues in order to address the emerging cross-resistance problems.

Chiral surfactant-type catalyst: enantioselective reduction of long-chain aliphatic ketoesters in water

A series of amphiphilic ligands were designed and synthesized. The rhodium complexes with the ligands were applied to the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of broad range of long-chained aliphatic ketoesters in neat water. Quantitative conversion and excellent enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee) was observed for α-, β-, γ-, δ- and ε-ketoesters as well as for α- and β-acyloxyketone using chiral surfactant-type catalyst 2. The CH/π interaction and the strong hydrophobic interaction of long aliphatic chains between the catalyst and the substrate in the metallomicelle core played a key role in the catalytic transition state. Synergistic effects between the metal-catalyzed site and the hydrophobic microenvironment of the core in the micelle contributed to high stereoselectivity.

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of spinosyn A

Following the biosynthesis of polyketide backbones by polyketide synthases (PKSs), post-PKS modifications result in a significantly elevated level of structural complexity that renders the chemical synthesis of these natural products challenging. We report herein a total synthesis of the widely used polyketide insecticide spinosyn A by exploiting the prowess of both chemical and enzymatic methods. As more polyketide biosynthetic pathways are characterized, this chemoenzymatic approach is expected to become readily adaptable to streamlining the synthesis of other complex polyketides with more elaborate post-PKS modifications.

Total synthesis of the antimitotic bicyclic peptide celogentin C

An account of the total synthesis of celogentin C is presented. A right-to-left synthetic approach to this bicyclic octapeptide was unsuccessful due to an inability to elaborate derivatives of the right-hand ring. In the course of these efforts, it was discovered that the mild Braslau modification of the McFadyen-Stevens reaction offers a useful method of reducing recalcitrant esters to aldehydes. A left-to-right synthetic strategy was then examined. The unusual Leu-Trp side-chain cross-link present in the left-hand macrocycle was fashioned via a three-step sequence comprised of an intermolecular Knoevenagel condensation, a radical conjugate addition, and a SmI(2)-mediated nitro reduction. A subsequent macrolactamization provided the desired ring system. The high yield and concise nature of the left-hand ring synthesis offset the modest diastereoselectivity of the radical conjugate addition. Formation of the Trp-His side-chain linkage characteristic of the right-hand ring was then accomplished by means of an indole-imidazole oxidative coupling. Notably, Pro-OBn was required as an additive in this reaction. Detailed mechanistic investigations indicated that Pro-OBn moderates the concentration of NCS in the reaction mixture, thereby minimizing the production of an undesired dichlorinated byproduct. The natural product was obtained after macrolactamization and deprotection. The chemical shifts of the imidazole hydrogen atoms exhibited significant dependence on temperature, concentration, and pH. Antitumor screening indicated that celogentin C inhibits the growth of some cancer cell lines.

Synthesis of Novel Spinosyn A Analogues by Pd-Mediated Transformations

The concept of modern crop protection demands for a continuous supply of new or modified established pesticides to avoid the development of serious resistances. Recent reports on the insecticidal spinosyns 1 and 2 show that also this class of pest managing agents is increasingly exposed to the formation of resistances. The synthesis of new derivatives is therefore highly desirable. We describe in this paper a convergent approach towards novel enantiopure spinosyn A analogues of type 3, which is based on investigations of structure-activity relationships and employs a twofold Heck reaction as key step for the preparation of the tricyclic backbone assembly.

Cascade Reactions in Total Synthesis

The design and implementation of cascade reactions is a challenging facet of organic chemistry, yet one that can impart striking novelty, elegance, and efficiency to synthetic strategies. The application of cascade reactions to natural products synthesis represents a particularly demanding task, but the results can be both stunning and instructive. This Review highlights selected examples of cascade reactions in total synthesis, with particular emphasis on recent applications therein. The examples discussed herein illustrate the power of these processes in the construction of complex molecules and underscore their future potential in chemical synthesis.

Spinosyn G: Proof of Structure by Semisynthesis

[reaction: see text] Spinosyn G was isolated in the late 1980s as a minor component from the broth of our potent, fermentation-derived insecticide spinosad. Its structure was then tentatively identified as 5' '-epispinosyn A (3) on the basis of (1)H and (13)C NMR data, but the 4' '-epi compound 4 could not be conclusively ruled out with the data available. Described herein are unambiguous syntheses of both 3 and 4, whereby 3 was proved identical to the natural product. Compound 4 was prepared from intact spinosyn A by a novel F-TEDA-promoted oxidative deamination to the 4' '-ketone 5, stereoselective reduction to the equatorial alcohol 6, and nitrogen incorporation via the axial azide 7. Compound 3 was obtained by coupling spinosyn A 17-pseudoaglycone (9) with the N-protected dihydropyran 16 derived from methyl l-ossaminide (14). This gave an approximately 2:1 mixture of anomeric products 17 with the desired equatorial glycoside predominating, which was then converted to 3 by N-deprotection and methylation.

Total synthesis of (-)-spinosyn A

A convergent, highly stereoselective total synthesis of (-)-spinosyn A (1) is described. Key features of the synthesis include the transannular Diels-Alder reaction of macrocyclic pentaene 11 and the transannular Morita-Baylis-Hillman cyclization of 12 that generates tetracycle 26. The total synthesis of (-)-spinosyn A was completed by a sequence involving the highly beta-selective glycosidation reaction of 13 and glycosyl imidate 30.

Application of the intramolecular vinylogous Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction toward the synthesis of the spinosyn A tricyclic nucleus

[reaction: see text] A concise synthesis of the spinosyn A tricyclic nucleus 27 has been developed by a route featuring a one-pot tandem intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction and intramolecular vinylogous Morita-Baylis-Hillman cyclization in which five stereocenters in tricycle 10 are set with excellent selectivity.

Studies on the synthesis of (-)-spinosyn a: application of the steric directing group strategy to transannular Diels-Alder reactions

A highly diastereoselective and enantioselective synthesis of the decahydro-as-indacene nucleus 12 of (-)-spinosyn A (1) is reported. By implementing the steric directing group strategy, tricyclic lactone 37 was produced from a remarkably diastereoselective transannular Diels-Alder reaction of lactone 9. The tricyclic core of the natural product was then obtained by using an Ireland-Claisen ring contraction of 37. Reversal of the order of these two steps resulted in an almost complete loss of diastereoselectivity.

Enzymatic kinetic resolution and chemoenzymatic dynamic kinetic resolution of delta-hydroxy esters. An efficient route to chiral delta-lactones

A successful kinetic resolution of a racemic mixture of delta-hydroxy esters 1 was obtained via lipase-catalyzed transesterification (E value up to 360). The combination of the enzymatic kinetic resolution with a ruthenium-catalyzed alcohol racemization led to an efficient dynamic kinetic resolution (ee up to 99% and conversion up to 92%). The synthetic utility of this procedure was illustrated by the practical syntheses of delta-lactones (R)-6-methyl- and (R)-6-ethyl-tetrahydropyran-2-one and (S)-5-(tert-butyldimethylsiloxy)heptanal. The former are important building blocks in the synthesis of natural products and biologically active compounds, and the latter is a key intermediate in the synthesis of widely used commercial insecticide Spinosyn A.

Total synthesis of (-)-salicylihalamide

A concise total synthesis of the potent cytotoxic marine natural products salicylihalamide A and B (la, b) is reported. Key steps of our approach were the asymmetric hydrogenation reactions of beta-keto esters 18 and 32 catalyzed by [((S)-BINAP)Ru-Cl2]2. NEt3 and the cyclization of the macrolide core by ring closing olefin metathesis (RCM) using the "second-generation" ruthenium carbene complex 24 as the catalyst which bears an imidazol-2-ylidene ligand. The EIZ ratio obtained in this macrocyclization reaction was determined by the protecting groups at the remote phenolic OH group of the cyclization precursor. The elaboration of the resulting cycloalkene 37 into the final target involved a CrCl2-mediated synthesis of vinyliodide 49 which, after deprotection, did undergo a copper-catalyzed cross-coupling process with the (Z,Z)-configurated carboxamide 42 to form the labile enamide moiety of 1. Compound 42 was derived from a palladium-catalyzed Negishi coupling between butynylzinc chloride and 3-iodoacrylate 39 followed by a Lindlar reduction of enyne 40 thus obtained and a final aminolysis of the ester group.

Studies on the synthesis of the decahydro-as-indacene ring system of (-)-spinosyn A via transannular Diels-Alder reactions of substituted (E,E,E)-cyclododeca-1,6,8-trienes

Stereoselective syntheses of decahydro-as-indacenes 31 and 54 are reported. The key features of our syntheses of 31 and 54 are the tandem Ireland-Claisen ring contraction of lactones 29 and 38 followed by the transannular Diels-Alder cyclization of cyclododecatrienes 30 and 35. Transition state modeling of both the transannular Diels-Alder reaction and the Ireland-Claisen ring contraction using PCModel is also described.Key words: transannular Diels-Alder reactions, tandem reactions, Claisen ring contraction, Spinosyn A, synthetic study.