Practical and Efficient 1α-Hydroxylation of 4,4-Dimethyl-2-Ene Derivatives in Terpenic Series

Synthesis of nimbolide and its analogues and their application as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 trapping inducers

Nimbolide, a ring seco-C limonoid natural product, was recently found to inhibit the poly(ADP)-ribosylation (PARylation)-dependent ubiquitin E3 ligase RNF114. In doing so, it induces the 'supertrapping' of both PARylated PARP1 and PAR-dependent DNA-repair factors. PARP1 inhibitors have reshaped the treatment of cancer patients with germline BRCA1/2 mutations partly through the PARP1 trapping mechanism. To this end, modular access to nimbolide analogues represents an opportunity to develop cancer therapeutics with enhanced PARP1 trapping capability. Here we report a convergent synthesis of nimbolide through a late-stage coupling strategy. Through a sulfonyl hydrazone-mediated etherification and a radical cyclization, this strategy uses a pharmacophore-containing building block and diversifiable hydrazone units to enable the modular synthesis of nimbolide and its analogues. The broad generality of our synthetic strategy allowed access to a variety of analogues with their preliminary cellular cytotoxicity and PARP1 trapping activity reported.

Synthesis of (+)-Panamonon B, 7-epi-Panamonon B, and Their (Z)-Isomers

(+)-Panamonon B was synthesized with the key quaternary center (of a predefined absolute configuration) installed using Stoltz asymmetric allylation. The C-5 ketone functionality and the cross-conjugated enone moiety in the side chain were introduced via a photosensitized [2+4] cycloaddition of singlet oxygen to diene silyl enol ether and an aldol condensation under the conditions of Sugiura, respectively. The ¹H and ¹³C NMR of the synthetic and natural samples were fully consistent with each other. However, because two samples showed opposite signs for optical rotations, they must be antipodes to one another. The synthesis also provided valuable chances to observe unexpected, yet rather intriguing, phenomena such as a bulky substituent in an axial position of a cyclohexane ring and (E)-and (Z)-isomers with opposite signs for optical rotations despite their identical stereogenic centers. The rare occurrence of a bulky substituent in an axial position of a cyclohexane ring is rationalized as a consequence of the presence of a quaternary center and formation of the five-membered lactone fused to the six-membered ring, while the so far unnoticed influence of C═C geometry on optical rotation is shown to be consistent with the information encapsulated in several discrete pairs of similar compounds retrieved from the literature.

An efficient semi-synthesis of 1-hydroxyl oleanolic acid analogs

An efficient route for the semi-synthesis of either 1α- or 1β-OH epimers of 1-hydroxy-3-deoxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid (1), 6-8 steps from oleanolic acid is reported. The synthesis involves stereoselective formation of α,β-unsaturated epoxy ketone and subsequent Wharton reaction as key steps, offering a new access to the 1-O-substituted oleanolic acid-type pentacyclic triterpenoids.

Developments in Synthetic Application of Selenium(IV) Oxide and Organoselenium Compounds as Oxygen Donors and Oxygen-Transfer Agents

A variety of selenium compounds were proven to be useful reagents and catalysts for organic synthesis over the past several decades. The most interesting aspect, which emerged in recent years, concerns application of hydroperoxide/selenium(IV) oxide and hydroperoxide/organoselenium catalyst systems, as "green reagents" for the oxidation of different organic functional groups. The topic of oxidations catalyzed by organoselenium derivatives has rapidly expanded in the last fifteen years This paper is devoted to the synthetic applications of the oxidation reactions mediated by selenium compounds such as selenium(IV) oxide, areneseleninic acids, their anhydrides, selenides, diselenides, benzisoselenazol-3(2H)-ones and other less often used other organoselenium compounds. All these compounds have been successfully applied for various oxidations useful in practical organic syntheses such as epoxidation, 1,2-dihydroxylation, and α-oxyfunctionalization of alkenes, as well as for ring contraction of cycloalkanones, conversion of halomethyl, hydroxymethyl or active methylene groups into formyl groups, oxidation of carbonyl compounds into carboxylic acids and/or lactones, sulfides into sulfoxides, and secondary amines into nitrones and regeneration of parent carbonyl compounds from their azomethine derivatives. Other reactions such as dehydrogenation and aromatization, active carbon-carbon bond cleavage, oxidative amidation, bromolactonization and oxidation of bromide for subsequent reactions with alkenes are also successfully mediated by selenium (IV) oxide or organoselenium compounds. The oxidation mechanisms of ionic or free radical character depending on the substrate and oxidant are discussed. Coverage of the literature up to early 2015 is provided. Links have been made to reviews that summarize earlier literature and to the methods of preparation of organoselenium reagents and catalysts.

Facile Synthesis of Mutagen X (MX): 3-Chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-5H-furan-2-one

3-Chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-5H-furan-2-one (Mutagen X, MX) was synthesized in six steps from commercially-available and inexpensive starting materials (27% overall yield). This synthesis enables the preparation of MX analogs and does not require the use of chlorine gas, as do previously reported methods.

Microbial hydroxylation/functionalization of terpenoid synthons derived from communic acids

Incubation of a communic acid-derived synthon with Cunninghamella elegans quantitatively affords 1 beta, 3 beta- and 7 beta- monohydroxylated derivatives.