Enzymatic resolution of racemic 1,2:5,6-di-O-cyclohexylidene and 1,2:3,4-di-O-cyclohexylidene-myo-inositol

Enzyme-catalyzed regio- and enantioselective esterification of racemic 1,2:5,6-di-O-cyclohexylidene- and 1,2:3,4-di-O-cyclohexylidene-myo-inositol, which are key intermediates for syntheses of various naturally occurring myo-inositol phosphate derivatives, proceeded exclusively in organic solvent to give optically pure materials and selectively protected products in gram scale. Hydrolysis of mono-O-acetates of the corresponding racemic materials catalyzed by the same enzymes yielded complementary products. The present study provides a new and efficient method for obtaining optically pure myo-inositol derivatives.

The synthesis and resolution of (+/-)-1,5,6-tri-O-benzyl-myo-inositol

Racemic 1,5,6-tri-O-benzyl-myo-inositol was prepared by five routes and converted into 1,5,6-tri-O-benzyl-2,3-O-isopropylidene-myo-inositol, the camphanates of which were readily separated by chromatography. The absolute configurations of the chiral derivatives were established by their conversion into the known chiral 1,4,5,6-tetra-O-benzyl-myo-inositols. 1D-1,5,6-Tri-O-benzyl-2,3-O-isopropylidene-myo-inositol was converted into 1D-1,3,5,6-tetra-O-benzyl-myo-inositol and thence into 1D-2,4-di-O-methyl-myo-inositol. 1D-1,5,6-Tri-O-benzyl-myo-inositol was converted into 1D-1,2,5,6-tetra-O-benzyl-myo-inositol, the diacetate of which is a chiral analogue of "thermosalient crystals". The potential of the above compounds for the synthesis of natural products is surveyed.

Synthesis of phosphonate derivatives of myo-inositol for use in biochemical studies of inositol-binding proteins

Phospholipids containing the inositol headgroup (phosphoinositides) serve as membrane storage forms of a family of messenger molecules that transmit signals in cells. In this study a general synthesis of myo-inositol phosphate derivatives in which the phosphorus oxygen bond is replaced with a phosphorus carbon bond (i.e. phosphonates) is presented. Four specific examples of phosphonate analogs of phosphatidylinositol (PI) are prepared which have a single alkyl chain in place of the diacylglycerol. These derivatives are stable in neutral and alkaline solutions and are designed for use in biochemical studies of PI-specific phospholipases C and other enzymes involved in the phosphoinositide signal transduction pathway.