Photoreaction products of extract from the fruiting bodies of Polyozellus multiplex.

Photochemical reactions are powerful tools for synthesizing organic molecules. The input of energy provided by light offers a means to produce strained and unique molecules that cannot be assembled using thermal protocols, allowing for the production of immense molecular complexity in a single chemical step. Furthermore, unlike thermal reactions, photochemical reactions do not require active reagents such as acids, bases, metals, or enzymes. Photochemical reactions play a central role in green chemistry. This article reports the isolation and structure determination of four new compounds (1-4) from the photoreaction products of the Polyozellus multiplex MeOH ext. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated using MS, IR, comprehensive NMR measurements and microED. The four compounds were formed by deacetylation of polyozellin, the main secondary metabolite of P. multiplex, and addition of singlet oxygen generated by sunlight. To develop drugs for treating Alzheimer's disease (AD) on the basis of the amyloid cascade hypothesis, the compounds (1-4) obtained by photoreaction were evaluated for BACE1 inhibitory activity. The hydrolysates (5 and 6) of polyozellin, the main secondary metabolites of P. multiplex, were also evaluated. The photoreaction products (3 and 4) and hydrolysates (5 and 6) of polyozellin showed BACE1 inhibitory activity (IC50: 2.2, 16.4, 23.3, and 5.3 µM, respectively).

Transformation of Renieramycin M into Renieramycins T and S by Intramolecular Photoredox Reaction of 7-Methoxy-6-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-5,8-dione Derivatives.

In connection with our studies of biologically active 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline marine natural products, we describe herein a useful intramolecular photoredox transformation of 7-methoxy-6-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-5,8-dione tricyclic models into 5-hydroxy-tetrahydroisoquinol[1,3]dioxoles in excellent yields. We applied this methodology to the transformation of renieramycin M into renieramycins T and S and the transformation of saframycin A. The results of cytotoxicity studies are also presented.

Inhibition of BACE1 and amyloid ß aggregation by polyketide from Streptomyces sp.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) causes cognitive impairment in the elderly and is a severe problem worldwide. One of the major reasons for the pathogenesis of AD is thought to be due to the accumulation of amyloid beta (Aß) peptides that result in neuronal cell death in the brain. In this study, bioassay-guided fractionation was performed to develop seed compounds for anti-AD drugs that can act as dual inhibitors of BACE1 and Aß aggregation from secondary metabolites produced by Streptomyces sp. To improve the solubility, the crude extracts were methylated with trimethylsilyl (TMS) diazomethane and then purified to yield polyketides 1-5, including the new compound 1. We synthesized the compounds 6 and 7 (original compounds 2 and 3, respectively), and their activities were evaluated. KS-619-1, the demethylated form of 4 and 5, was isolated and evaluated for its inhibitory activity. The IC50 values for BACE1 and Aß aggregation were found to be 0.48 and 1.1 µM, respectively, indicating that KS-619-1 could be a lead compound for the development of therapeutic agents for AD.

Total synthesis of (-)-agelastatin A: an SH2' radical azidation strategy.

A reagent generated from TMSN3/KMnO4/BnEt3NCl was found to promote an SH2' radical azidation of a bromo silyl enol ether to furnish an azido silyl enol ether via olefin transposition. With the present azidation protocol, a new synthetic approach to agelastatin A, a potent antitumor marine alkaloid, has been established.

A novel approach to sesquiterpenoid benzoxazole synthesis from marine sponges: nakijinols A, B and E-G.

Nakijinols A, B and analogues E through G, which are structurally unique and biologically significant sesquiterpenoid benzoxazoles, can be efficiently obtained in a highly unified manner from the sesquiterpenoid quinone, smenospongine. The starting material is accessible from the (+)-5-methyl Wieland-Miescher ketone. The synthetic method features strategic construction of the requisite dihydroxylated benzoxazole substructure via the ring closure of the N-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-formamide or -acetamide moiety. The synthesis of nakijinols is reported here for the first time. The absolute configurations of nakijinols A and E were also established.

Preparation of tricyclic lactam model compounds of renieramycin and saframycin anticancer natural products from common intermediate.

Tricyclic lactam model compounds of the left half (ABC ring) of renieramycin and saframycin anticancer natural products were prepared from common intermediate 6a. Readily available alcohol 6a was converted into enamide 8, and this was followed by transformation into 6b through a hydrobromination reaction in a stereoselective manner. Some diastereomers at C-6 to C-11a of the tricyclic lactam model compounds having several functional groups at C-6 were prepared from 6a or 6b in good yields. We presented also an unexpected reductive acetylation of the p-quinone to produce the corresponding 3,4-dehydro derivative.