Total synthesis of sphingofungin E from D-glucose

Recent advances in the total synthesis of polyhydroxylated alkaloids via chiral oxazines

This review summarizes recently established methodologies developed for the enantioselective and diastereoselective synthesis of chiral 1,3-oxazines. These compounds are of interest as advanced synthetic intermediates in the total synthesis of structurally complex and biologically active polyhydroxylated alkaloids such as (+)-1-deoxynojirimycin, (-)-anisomycin, (+)-castanospermine, (+)-casuarine, (-)-conduramine F-1, (-)-sphingofungin B, Neu5Ac methyl ester, and other natural products. The devised synthetic approach aims to offer a direct, efficient, and adaptable method for obtaining both pure enantiomers and pure diastereomers. It revolves around utilizing chiral building blocks like syn,syn-, syn,syn,anti-, syn,anti-, syn,anti,syn-, anti,syn-, anti,syn,syn-, and anti,syn,anti-oxazines. By integrating oxazine chemistry with established and innovative transformations, this approach enabled the synthesis of 30 polyhydroxylated amines across various studies conducted between 2007 and 2022.

Divergent access to a novel 3,4-diaminophytosphingosine-like ceramide via sequential Overman rearrangement

A straightforward approach to a novel phytosphingosine-like ceramide has been accomplished. The cornerstone features of this divergent synthesis are a cascade Overman rearrangement of tris(imidate) to introduce three desired stereogenic centres via sequential chirality transfer and an effective olefin cross-metathesis to install a long side chain. The final unusual phytoceramides were evaluated for their capacity to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cell lines. The preliminary results revealed that compound 21 exhibits promising anticancer activity against HeLa and HCT-116 cells as well as the excellent selectivity in cytotoxicity (malignant vs non-malignant cell lines).

Total Synthesis of (-)-Bastimolide A: A Showcase for Type I Anion Relay Chemistry

A highly convergent total synthesis of (-)-bastimolide A (1), a polyhydroxy antimalarial macrolide, has been achieved via a longest linear sequence of twenty steps from commercially available glycidyl ethers. Type I Anion Relay Chemistry (ARC) coupling tactics enable rapid construction of the molecule's 1,5-polylol backbone. A late-stage B-alkyl Suzuki-Miyaura union and an Evans-modified Mukaiyama macrolactonization generate the forty-membered Z-α,β-unsaturated macrocyclic lactone.

A Modular Approach to the Antifungal Sphingofungin Family: Concise Total Synthesis of Sphingofungin A and C

Sphingofungins are fungal natural products known to inhibit the biosynthesis of sphingolipids which play pivotal roles in various cell functions. Here, we report a short and flexible synthetic approach towards the sphingofungin family. Key step of the synthesis was a decarboxylative cross-coupling reaction of chiral sulfinyl imines with a functionalized tartaric acid derivative, which yielded the core motif of sphingofungins carrying four consecutive stereocenters and a terminal double bond. Subsequent metathesis reaction allowed for the introduction of different side chains of choice resulting in a total of eight sphingofungins, including for the first time sphingofungin C (eight steps from commercially available protected tartaric acid with an overall yield of 6 %) and sphingofungin A (ten steps). All newly synthesized derivatives were tested for their antifungal, cell-proliferative and antiparasitic activity unraveling their structure-activity relations.

Synthesis of Saxitoxin and Its Derivatives

The chiral synthesis of (+)-saxitoxin and its derivatives is described. Two consecutive carbon-nitrogen bonds at C-5 and C-6 in saxitoxin were effectively installed by the sequential Overman rearrangement of an allylic vicinal diol derived from d-malic acid. The bicyclic guanidine unit was constructed by the intramolecular aminal formation of an acyclic bis-guanidine derivative possessing a ketone carbonyl at C-4. From the bicyclic aminal intermediate, (+)-saxitoxin, (+)-decarbamoyl-β-saxitoxinol [(+)-dc-β-saxitoxinol], and the unnatural skeletal isomer, (-)-iso-dc-saxitoxinol, were synthesized.

The synthesis of unnatural α-alkyl- and α-aryl-substituted serine derivatives

The synthesis of α-aryl- and α-alkyl-substituted serine derivatives via [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of allyl carbamates as a key step is reported. Allyl carbamates were obtained from the corresponding allyl alcohols. The former were prepared through three approaches. Aryl-substituted ones were synthesized via the Stille coupling reaction of aryl iodides with enantiomerically enriched vinyl stannanes. Conversely, alkyl-substituted allyl alcohols were prepared by an analogous strategy involving the Negishi coupling reaction of enantiomerically enriched vinyl iodides or by enzymatic kineric resolution of the corresponding racemic alcohols.

Total Synthesis of Sphingofungin E and 4,5-Di-epi-sphingofungin E

Total synthesis of sphingofungin E and 4,5-di-epi-sphingofungin E was achieved from an intermediate same as that of myriocin and mycestericin D via antipodal stereoselective dihydroxylations.

2-Vinyl Threoninol Derivatives via Acid-Catalyzed Allylic Substitution of Bisimidates

A diastereoselective synthesis of 4-vinyl oxazolines syn-2 was developed based on an acid-catalyzed cyclization of bistrichloroacetimidates (E)-1. The reaction likely involves an allyl carbenium ion intermediate in which the adjacent stereocenter directs the stereoselectivity for C-N bond formation. Oxazolines syn-2 were transformed to C-quaternary threoninol, threoninal, and threonine derivatives which can be further incorporated into complex natural compounds.

Chirality extension of an oxazine building block en route to total syntheses of (+)-hyacinthacine A2 and sphingofungin B

Concise total syntheses of (+)-hyacinthacine A₂ and sphingofungin B were achieved by palladium(0)-catalyzed intramolecular oxazine formation and diastereoselective nucleophilic additions.

Synthesis of tetrodotoxin, a classic but still fascinating natural product

Tetrodotoxin, a toxic principle of puffer fish intoxication, is one of the most famous marine natural products due to its densely functionalized structure and potent toxicity. Despite its small molecular size (MW 319 g mol⁻¹), tetrodotoxin has long been well known as a formidable molecule in natural product synthesis. We have devoted more than twenty years to developing synthetic strategies for this molecule, resulting in the preparation of a variety of analogues of tetrodotoxin for biological experiments. This account describes a brief history of tetrodotoxin research and an overview of our synthetic efforts toward tetrodotoxin with the underlying logic and strategy.

C-H activation: a complementary tool in the total synthesis of complex natural products

The recent advent of transition-metal mediated C-H activation is revolutionizing the synthetic field and gradually infusing a "C-H activation mind-set" in both students and practitioners of organic synthesis. As a powerful testament of this emerging synthetic tool, applications of C-H activation in the context of total synthesis of complex natural products are beginning to blossom. Herein, recently completed total syntheses showcasing creative and ingenious incorporation of C-H activation as a strategic manoeuver are compared with their "non-C-H activation" counterparts, illuminating a new paradigm in strategic synthetic design.

Total synthesis of a protected form of sphingofungin E using the [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of an allylic thiocyanate as the key reaction

An approach to the stereocontrolled synthesis of the protected form of sphingofungin E (32) starting from the known protected d-glucose derivative 3 is described herein. For the construction of a tetrasubstituted carbon atom that is substituted with nitrogen, the [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of thiocyanate 8 was employed. Subsequent functional group interconversions afforded the highly functionalized fragment, allylic bromide 26. Its coupling reaction with the known C(12) hydrophobic segment 2, followed by further manipulation, completed the total synthesis.

Total synthesis of (-)-agelastatin A: the application of a sequential sigmatropic rearrangement

An enantioselective total synthesis of (-)-agelastatin A from (-)-2,3-O-isopropylidene-d-threitol is described. The sequential Overman/Mislow-Evans rearrangement of the allylic bistrichloroimidate is the key step, which efficiently installed a diaminohydroxy group.

Microwave accelerated aza-Claisen rearrangement

A study of microwave-induced and standard thermal Overman rearrangement of selected allylic trichloroacetimidates 1a-1f, 6-8 to the corresponding acetamides 2a-2f, 9-11 is reported. The microwave-assisted rearrangement of trifluoroacetimidate 13 is also described. Using this methodology, an efficient access to versatile allylic trihaloacetamides building synthons was established.

Chemoenzymatic Approaches to Lycorine-Type Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids: Total Syntheses of ent-Lycoricidine, 3-epi-ent-Lycoricidine, and 4-Deoxy-3-epi-ent-lycoricidine

The readily available and enzymatically derived cis-1,2-dihydrocatechol 4 has been elaborated, over 11 steps including an Overman rearrangement, into the non-natural enantiomer, (-)-1, of the alkaloid lycoricidine [(+)-1]. Related chemistries have provided analogues 18, 19, and 26.

An efficient total synthesis of optically active tetrodotoxin from levoglucosenone

Tetrodotoxin, a toxic principal of puffer-fish poisoning, is one of the most famous marine natural products, and has been known as a formidable synthetic target in synthesis owing to its multifunctional structure and unusual chemical properties. From the perspective of supplying tetrodotoxin derivatives such as labeled molecules for biochemical research, we have completed our second total synthesis of tetrodotoxin from a synthetic intermediate for 11-deoxytetrodotoxin, which was previously prepared from levoglucosenone as a chiral starting material in this laboratory. This paper discloses the details of the total synthesis with special reference to significant influences on the neighboring functional groups found in the installation of guanidine. The established route should allow us to prepare the tetrodotoxin-related compounds required for biochemical studies.

A formal [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement route to quaternary alpha-vinyl amino acids: use of allylic N-PMP trifluoroacetimidates

Pd(II)-mediated rearrangement of allylic N-PMP (p-methoxyphenyl) trifluoroacetimidates provides the first formal sigmatropic route to quaternary, alpha-vinylic amino acids, potential suicide substrates for PLP enzymes. The amino acid side chains enter via transition-metal-mediated C-C bond constructions, including (i) Cu(I)-mediated conjugate addition (Ala); (ii) Pd(0)/AsPh3-mediated Stille coupling (allyl-Gly, Phe, DOPA, m-Tyr); and (iii) Pd(0)/Pt-Bu3-mediated Negishi coupling (Leu). In the synthesis of the DOPA decarboxylase inactivator, alpha-vinyl-m-tyrosine, the new N-PMP trifluoroacetimidate rearranges much more efficiently than the corresponding trichloroacetimidate.

An Efficient Enantioselective Synthesis of (2R)-Hydroxymethyl Glutamic Acid and an Approach to the (2R)-Hydroxymethyl-Substituted Sphingofungins

We have developed a short enantioselective synthesis of (2R)-hydroxymethyl glutamic acid (HMG) starting from Garner's aldehyde using an alkylidene carbene 1,5-CH insertion as a method to construct the quaternary stereocenter. A variety of conditions were examined for the oxidative cleavage of the key cyclopentene intermediate and we found that RuCl3/NaIO4 led directly to the desired amino bis-acid product. We were also able to show that oxidative cleavage of the cyclopentene 1,5-CH insertion product could be used to produce the amino acid-containing skeleton of the sphingofungin family of natural products.

A New Method for the Stereoselective Synthesis of α-Substituted Serine Amino Acid Analogues

[reaction: see text]. A new method was developed for the stereoselective synthesis of alpha-substituted serine amino acids. The strategy utilizes a common enantiomerically enriched intermediate obtained through an enzymatic desymmetrization. A variety of amino acids were synthesized in good ee's through nucleophilic acetylide addition reactions and palladium-catalyzed Sonogashira couplings.

Stereoselective synthesis of conformationally constrained glycosylated amino acids using an enzyme-catalyzed desymmetrization

As part of an effort to probe the mechanism by which glycosyltransferases recognize glycoproteins and assemble the core structures of O-linked oligosaccharides, constrained glycopeptides, compounds 2 and 3, based on the alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminyl serine substructure 1, were designed. In this paper we describe a stereoselective preparation of protected versions of these compounds. A pig liver esterase-catalyzed enzymatic desymmetrization of a diacetate substrate, 10, was employed as a key component in the synthesis.