Two Interrelated Strategies for Cephalotaxine Synthesis

Nitrene C-H Bond Insertion Approach to Carbazolones and Indolones, and a Reactivity Departure for 7-Membered Analogues

A modular platform for facile access to 1,2,3,9-tetrahydro-4H-carbazol-4-ones (H4 -carbazolones) and 3,4-dihydrocyclopenta[b]indol-1(2H)-ones (H2 -indolones) is described. The requisite 6- and 5-membered 2-arylcycloalkane-1,3-dione precursors were readily obtained through a Cu-catalyzed arylation of 1,3-cyclohexanediones or by a ring expansion of aryl succinoin derivatives. Enolization of one carbonyl group in the diones, conversion to a leaving group, and subsequent azidation gave 2-aryl-3-azidocycloalk-2-en-1-ones. This two-step, one-pot azidation is highly regioselective with unsymmetrically substituted 2-arylcyclohexane-1,3-diones. The regioselectivity, which is important for access to single isomers of 3,3-disubstituted carbazolones, was analyzed mechanistically and computationally. Finally, a Rh-catalyzed nitrene/nitrenoid insertion into the ortho C-H bond of the aryl moiety gave the H4 -carbazolones and H2 -indolones. One carbazolone was elaborated to an intermediate reported in the total synthesis of N-decarbomethoxychanofruticosinate, (-)-aspidospermidine, (+)-kopsihainanine A. With 2-phenylcycloheptane-1,3-dione, prepared from cyclohexanone and benzaldehyde, the azidation reaction was readily accomplished. However, the Rh-catalyzed reaction unexpectedly led to a labile but characterizable azirine rather than the indole derivative. Computations were performed to understand the differences in reactivities of the 5- and 6-membered 2-aryl-3-azidocycloalk-2-en-1-ones in comparison to the 7-membered analogue, and to support the structural assignment of the azirine.

Towards a General Access to 1-Azaspirocyclic Systems via Photoinduced, Reductive Decarboxylative Radical Cyclizations

A convenient and versatile approach to important 1-azaspirocyclic systems relevant to medicinal chemistry and natural products is reported herein. The main strategy relies on a reductive decarboxylative cyclization of redox-active esters which can be rapidly assembled from abundant cyclic azaacids and tailored acceptor sidechains, with a focus on alkyne acceptors enabling the generation of useful exo-alkene moieties. Diastereoconvergent variants were studied and could be achieved either through remote stereocontrol or conformational restriction in bicyclic carbamate substrates. Two sets of metal-free photocatalytic conditions employing inexpensive eosin Y were disclosed and studied experimentally to highlight key mechanistic divergences.

Stereoselective Synthesis of trans-Decalin-Based Spirocarbocycles via Photocyclization of 1,2-Diketones

Diastereoselective synthesis of the trans-decalin-based α-hydroxyl butanone spirocarbocycles bearing all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centers has been achieved via Norrish-Yang photocyclization of trans-decalin-substituted-2,3-butanediones using daylight. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that this diastereoselective reaction is affected by both substrate conformation and intramolecular hydrogen bonds. The developed chemistry could be applied to synthesizing the derivatives of the trans-decalin-based biologically important natural products.

Collective Asymmetric Total Synthesis of C-11 Oxygenated Cephalotaxus Alkaloids

While numerous studies pertaining to the total synthesis of Cephalotaxus alkaloids have been reported, only two strategies have been reported to date for the successful synthesis of the C-11 oxygenated subset, due to the additional synthetic challenge posed by the remote C-11 stereocenter. Herein, we report the collective asymmetric total synthesis of C-11 oxygenated Cephalotaxus alkaloids using a chiral proline both as a starting material and as the only chirality source. A tetracyclic advanced intermediate was synthesized in a highly stereoselective manner from l-proline in 8 steps involving sequential chirality transfer steps such as a diastereoselective N-alkylation, stereospecific Stevens rearrangement and intramolecular Friedel-Crafts reaction via an unusual O-acyloxocarbenium intermediate. From a common intermediate, the asymmetric total synthesis of six C-11 oxygenated Cephalotaxus alkaloids was completed by a series of oxidation state adjustments.

Cephalotaxus Alkaloids

Cephalotaxus alkaloids represent a family of plant secondary metabolites known for 60 years. Significant activity against leukemia in mice was demonstrated for extracts of Cephalotaxus. Cephalotaxine (CET) (1), the major alkaloid of this series was isolated from Cephalotaxus drupacea species by Paudler in 1963. The subsequent discovery of promising antitumor activity among new Cephalotaxus derivatives reported by Chinese, Japanese, and American teams triggered extensive structure elucidation and biological studies in this family. The structural feature of this cephalotaxane family relies mainly on its tetracyclic alkaloid backbone, which comprises an azaspiranic 1-azaspiro[4.4]nonane unit (rings C and D) and a benzazepine ring system (rings A and B), which is linked by its C3 alcohol function to a chiral oxygenated side chain by a carboxylic function alpha to a tetrasubstituted carbon center. The botanical distribution of these alkaloids is limited to the Cephalotaxus genus (Cephalotaxaceae). The scope of biological activities of the Cephalotaxus alkaloids is mainly centered on the antileukemic activity of homoharringtonine (HHT) (2), which in particular demonstrated marked benefits in the treatment of orphan myeloid leukemia and was approved as soon as 2009 by European Medicine Agency and by US Food and Drug Administration in 2012. Its exact mechanism of action was partly elucidated and it was early recognized that HHT (2) inhibited protein synthesis at the level of the ribosome machinery. Interestingly, after a latency period of two decades, the topic of Cephalotaxus alkaloids reemerged as a prolific source of new natural structures. To date, more than 70 compounds have been identified and characterized. Synthetic studies also regained attention during the past two decades, and numerous methodologies were developed to access the first semisynthetic HHT (2) of high purity suitable for clinical studies, and then high grade enantiomerically pure CET (1), HHT (2), and analogs.

Azabicycles construction: the transannular ring contraction with N-protected nucleophiles

Synthetic strategies are one of the most critical factors for the success of a synthetic campaign, but most importantly they are crucial for the economy and the efficiency of the sequence.

Geminal acylation of α-heterosubstituted cyclohexanones and their ketals

Geminal acylation of derivatives of cyclohexanone with Br, Cl, F, and OCH3 in the α position, and of their corresponding dimethyl ketals, could not be accomplished to a significant extent following published procedures. The transformation was accomplished in two steps. The initial BF3·Et2O-mediated reaction with 1,2-bis(trimethylsilyloxy)cyclobutene gave a cyclobutanone product as a mixture of diastereomers. Only with 2-chlorocyclohexanone did this occur with good diastereoselectivity. Then, pinacol rearrangement of the diastereomeric mixture mediated by Amberlyst-15 in benzene provided the heterosubstituted spirocyclic diketone.

Synthesis of antiproliferative Cephalotaxus esters and their evaluation against several human hematopoietic and solid tumor cell lines: uncovering differential susceptibilities to multidrug resistance

Deoxyharringtonine (2), homoharringtonine (3), homodeoxyharringtonine (4), and anhydroharringtonine (5) are reported to be among the most potent members of the antileukemia alkaloids isolated from the Cephalotaxus genus. Convergent syntheses of these four natural products are described, each involving novel synthetic methods and strategies. These syntheses enabled evaluation of several advanced natural and non-natural compounds against an array of human hematopoietic and solid tumor cells. Potent cytotoxicity was observed in several cell lines previously not challenged with these alkaloids. Variations in the structure of the ester chain within this family of alkaloids confer differing activity profiles against vincristine-resistant HL-60/RV+, signalling new avenues for molecular design of these natural products to combat multi-drug resistance.

Synthesis of natural products and analogs using multiple Pd-catalyzed transformations

Palladium-catalyzed transformations are of great importance in modern synthetic organic chemistry. The vast number of reactions that can be catalyzed by Pd0- as well as Pd2+-complexes in combination with the relative stability of the intermediates offers the intriguing opportunity of carrying out multiple consecutive bond-forming processes. They can be even performed in a domino fashion and in the presence of chiral ligands to allow the efficient preparation of almost enantiopure compounds. In this article, the use of double Heck, Tsuji-Trost-Heck, and Wacker-Heck reactions for the total syntheses of estradiol, spinosyn A analogs, cephalotaxine, and vitamin E is described.

New Route to Azaspirocycles via the Organolithium-Mediated Conversion of β-Alkoxy Aziridines into Cyclopentenyl Amines

A new three-step route to azaspirocycles involving the organolithium-mediated conversion of beta-alkoxy aziridines into substituted cyclopentenyl amines, hydroboration, and cyclization has been developed. The methodology is utilized in the construction of the pentacyclic ring system of cephalotaxine. [reaction: see text]

Multicomponent domino reactions for the synthesis of biologically active natural products and drugs

A main issue in modern synthetic organic chemistry, which deals with the preparation of natural products, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, agrochemicals, and other important materials, is the improvement of efficiency, the avoidance of toxic reagents, the reduction of waste, and the responsible treatment of our resources. One of the ways to fulfill these goals is the development and use of domino processes, which consist of several bond-forming reactions and which allow the highly efficient synthesis of complex molecules starting from simple substrates. Herein, the combination of several catalytic bond-forming transformations is clearly most appropriate. The synthesis of the enantiopure alkaloid (-)-hirsutine 22, which has a strong inhibitorial effect on influenza A viruses, was accomplished using a biomimetic domino Knoevenagel-hetero-Diels Alder-solvolysis-hydrogenation process. In a similar way the alkaloids (+)-dihydrocorynantheine 23 and (-)-dihydroantirhine 24 as well as heterosteroids 62, D-homosteroids 65 and 68, and azasteroids 25 are prepared. In addition, novel steroid alkaloids 26 are accessible by a combination of the formation of an iminium salt, a hydride shift, and an alkylation. The anti-leukemic pentacyclic (-)-cephalotaxine 27 is obtained by a combination of two Pd-catalyzed reactions.