Nonenzymatic Reactions in Natural Product Formation

Biosynthetic mechanisms of natural products primarily depend on systems of protein catalysts. However, within the field of biosynthesis, there are cases in which the inherent chemical reactivity of metabolic intermediates and substrates evades the involvement of enzymes. These reactions are difficult to characterize based on their reactivity and occlusion within the milieu of the cellular environment. As we continue to build a strong foundation for how microbes and higher organisms produce natural products, therein lies a need for understanding how protein independent or nonenzymatic biosynthetic steps can occur. We have classified such reactions into four categories: intramolecular, multicomponent, tailoring, and light-induced reactions. Intramolecular reactions is one of the most well studied in the context of biomimetic synthesis, consisting of cyclizations and cycloadditions due to the innate reactivity of the intermediates. There are two subclasses that make up multicomponent reactions, one being homologous multicomponent reactions which results in dimeric and pseudodimeric natural products, and the other being heterologous multicomponent reactions, where two or more precursors from independent biosynthetic pathways undergo a variety of reactions to produce the mature natural product. The third type of reaction discussed are tailoring reactions, where postmodifications occur on the natural products after the biosynthetic machinery is completed. The last category consists of light-induced reactions involving ecologically relevant UV light rather than high intensity UV irradiation that is traditionally used in synthetic chemistry. This review will cover recent nonenzymatic biosynthetic mechanisms and include sources for those reviewed previously.

Cooperation of Cis Vicinal Acceptors for Donor-Acceptor Cyclopropane Activation: TfOH-Promoted Ring-Opening/Aryl Shift Rearrangement to 3- and 5-Ylidenebutenolides

A convenient route to 3- and 5-ylidenebutenolides from readily available cis-2-acylcyclopropane-1-carboxylates is described. Upon exposure to TfOH, synergistic activation of the vicinal acceptors in cis-2-acylcyclopropane-1-carboxylates generates highly strained bicyclic oxocarbenium ion intermediates, which undergo the ring-opening/aryl shift/deprotonation cascade process to form the 3- or 5-ylidenebutenolides depending on the acyl group. On the other hand, the corresponding trans isomers, from which it is difficult to form such oxocarbenium ions, are inactive under the same conditions.

Synthesis of Cytospolide Analogues and Late-State Diversification Thereof

The cytospolides are a novel group of fungal secondary metabolites first described in 2011. Although all 17 natural derivatives share the same C-14 polyketide backbone, they exhibit a fairly broad structural diversity regarding their oxygenation and acetylation pattern as well as macrolide structure, e.g., monocyclic nonanolide core or bicyclic ring systems with a bridging THF ring. In the present work, the prospects for an extension of the structural diversity of cytospolides have been investigated. On the basis of a previously established synthesis of cytospolide D, a modified route to a truncated analogue carrying an alkyne instead of the natural n-pentyl side chain has been developed. In a bioinspired approach the so-derived cytospolide D alkyne analogue has been further converted to bicyclic and THF ring containing derivatives with a different backbone architecture. Finally, Sonogashira couplings or Huisgen-Sharpless click reactions have been used for late-stage diversifications. Thus, a set of 15 novel and structurally diverse natural product derivatives has been synthesized in a highly efficient manner.

Regioselective dehydration of α-hydroxymethyl tetrahydrofurans using Burgess' reagent under microwave irradiation

We here present a highly efficient and high yielding procedure for the preparation of 2-vinyl tetrahydrofurans starting from α-hydroxymethyl tetrahydrofurans. Best results for this dehydration were achieved using Burgess' reagent in dioxane under microwave irradiation. A range of functional groups as well as different cyclic and bicyclic frameworks were found to be compatible with the reaction conditions. The desired products were obtained within minutes in good to high yields and excellent regioselectivity.

Angelica Lactones: From Biomass-Derived Platform Chemicals to Value-Added Products

The upgrading of biomass-derived compounds has arisen in recent years as a very promising research field in both academia and industry. In this sense, a lot of new processes and products have been developed, often involving levulinic acid as a starting material or intermediate. In the last few years, though, other scaffolds have been receiving growing attention, especially, angelica lactones. Considering these facts and the emergent applications of said molecules, in this review we will discuss their preparation and applications; the use of these frameworks as starting materials in organic synthesis to produce potential bioactive compounds will be covered, as will their use as a foundation to highly regarded compounds such as liquid alkanes with prospective use as fuels and polymers.

Synthesis and Structural Modification of Marine Natural Products

In the last decades, marine natural products (MNPs), have attracted extensive interest from both chemists and pharmacologists due to their chemical and bioactive diversities. This special issue, collecting total synthesis and structural modification of six different type of bioactive MNPs, is expected to inspire and attract more research effects invested into MNP research.

Appreciation of symmetry in natural product synthesis

This review defines symmetric molecules from a synthetic perspective and shows various strategies that take advantage of molecular symmetry to construct them.

Total Synthesis of Cytospolide D and Its Biomimetic Conversion to Cytospolides M, O, and Q

A total synthesis of cytospolide D, starting from l-glutamic acid, is described. The critical macrolactonization to the 10-membered lactone containing an (E)-configured double bond was successfully achieved by Shiina esterification. Conversion of cytospolide D to its bicyclic derivatives M, O, and Q was accomplished under mild conditions, lending support to the proposed biosynthetic hypothesis.

Diels-Alderase-free, bis-pericyclic, [4+2] dimerization in the biosynthesis of (±)-paracaseolide A

The natural product paracaseolide A is a tetracyclic dilactone containing six adjacent stereocenters. It has an unprecedented skeleton and occupies unique structural space among the >200,000 characterized secondary metabolites. Six different research groups have reported a chemical synthesis of this compound, five of which used a thermal, net Diels–Alder [4+2] cycloaddition and dehydration at 110 °C to access the target by dimerization of a simple butenolide precursor. Here we report that this dimerization proceeds under much milder conditions and with a different stereochemical outcome than previously recognized. This can be rationalized by invoking a bis-pericyclic transition state. Furthermore, we find that spontaneous epimerization, necessary to correct the configuration at one key stereocenter, is viable and that natural paracaseolide A is racemic. Together these facts point to the absence of enzymatic catalysis (i.e., Diels–Alderase activity) in the cycloaddition and strongly suggest that a non-enzyme-mediated dimerization is the actual event by which paracaseolide A is produced in Nature.

W. Stark CBWS. Short and highly efficient synthesis of lipid peroxidation inhibitor pyrrolostatin and some analogues thereof

A highly efficient and scalable synthesis of the potent lipid peroxidation inhibitor pyrrolostatin is presented together with strategies to modify the key structural subunits.