Ten-Gram-Scale Total Synthesis of the Anticancer Drug Candidate E7130 to Supply Clinical Trials.

E7130 is a novel drug candidate with an exceedingly complex chemical structure of the halichondrin class, discovered by a total synthesis approach through joint research between the Kishi group at Harvard University and Eisai. Only 18 months after completion of the initial milligram-scale synthesis, ten-gram-scale synthesis of E7130 was achieved, providing the first good manufacturing practice (GMP) batch to supply clinical trials. This paper highlights the challenges in developing ten-gram-scale synthesis from the milligram-scale synthesis.

Total Synthesis of Halistatins 1 and 2.

The first total synthesis of halistatins 1 and 2 has been completed using Cr-mediated coupling reactions for the C11/C12, C17/C18, and C19/C20 bond formation. For the C11/C12 bond formation, a stoichiometric Ni/Cr-mediated reaction is used to couple an α-quaternary aldehyde with a vinyl iodide. The solubilized Cr-reagent, prepared from CrCl2 and a sulfonamide ligand, allows one to perform the coupling with ∼1 equiv of Cr-reagent. Catalytic, asymmetric Co/Cr-mediated iodoallylation is adopted to incorporate the requisite C17-C19 functionality in a stereoselective manner. Asymmetric Ni/Cr-mediated coupling is used to form the C19/C20 bond effectively. Through this study, it has been found that the stereoselectivity of [5,5]-spiroketalization dramatically depends on solvents; p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA) in 1:1 methanol-water gave a >20:1 stereoselectivity favoring the natural series. This condition is also effective to isomerize C38-epi-halichondrins into C38 natural halichondrins.

A landmark in drug discovery based on complex natural product synthesis.

Despite their outstanding antitumour activity in mice, the limited supply from the natural sources has prevented drug discovery/development based on intact halichondrins. We achieved a total synthesis of C52-halichondrin-B amine (E7130) on a >10 g scale with >99.8% purity under GMP conditions. Interestingly, E7130 not only is a novel microtubule dynamics inhibitor but can also increase intratumoural CD31-positive endothelial cells and reduce α-SMA-positive cancer-associated fibroblasts at pharmacologically relevant compound concentrations. According to these unique effects, E7130 significantly augment the effect of antitumour treatments in mouse models and is currently in a clinical trial. Overall, our work demonstrates that a total synthesis can address the issue of limited material supply in drug discovery/development even for the cases of complex natural products.

Mycolactone cytotoxicity in Schwann cells could explain nerve damage in Buruli ulcer.

Buruli ulcer is a chronic painless skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. The local nerve damage induced by M. ulcerans invasion is similar to the nerve damage evoked by the injection of mycolactone in a Buruli ulcer mouse model. In order to elucidate the mechanism of this nerve damage, we tested and compared the cytotoxic effect of synthetic mycolactone A/B on cultured Schwann cells, fibroblasts and macrophages. Mycolactone induced much higher cell death and apoptosis in Schwann cell line SW10 than in fibroblast line L929. These results suggest that mycolactone is a key substance in the production of nerve damage of Buruli ulcer.

Unified Synthesis of Right Halves of Halichondrins A-C.

The right halves of halichondrins A-C were synthesized by coupling the common C20-C37 building block 9 with the C1-C19 building blocks 10a-c, respectively. Catalytic, asymmetric Ni/Cr-mediated coupling was used for three C-C bond formations. For all cases, the stereochemistry was controlled with the Cr catalyst prepared from the chiral sulfonamide identified via the toolbox approach. For (3 + 4)-, (6 + 7)-, and (9 + 10)-couplings, the stereoselectivity of 28:1, >40:1, and ∼20:1 was achieved by the Cr catalysts prepared from (S)-H, (S)-I, and (R)-L, respectively. Unlike the first and second couplings, the third coupling used the structurally complex nucleophile. It was demonstrated that the coupling efficiency was excellent even with the electrophile/nucleophile molar ratio = 1.0/1.1. In addition, the third coupling was achieved with the substrate bearing a free hydroxyl group. The products obtained in the Ni/Cr-mediated couplings were converted to the right halves of halichondrins A-C in excellent overall yields. The right halves of halichondrins A-C (1a-c) were synthesized in 28, 24, and 24 steps from commercial d-galactal in 13.4%, 21.1%, and 16.7% overall yield, respectively.

Stereocontrolled Synthesis of Left Halves of Halichondrins.

A stereocontrolled synthesis of the left halves of halichondrins was reported. An intramolecular oxy-Michael reaction under basic conditions was used to construct the [6,6]-spiroketal in a stereocontrolled manner. With this approach, the left halves of halichondrins, homohalichondrins, and norhalichondrins were synthesized.

Zirconium/Nickel-Mediated One-Pot Ketone Synthesis.

A zirconium/nickel-mediated one-pot synthesis of ketones is reported. In the presence of Zn or Mn, Cp2 ZrCl2 was found to dramatically accelerate the coupling and suppress side product formation via an I→SPy displacement at the same time. Unlike Zn/Pd- and Fe/Cu-mediated one-pot ketone syntheses, the new method is effective for nucleophiles bearing OR or equivalent functional groups at the α-position. A mechanism comprising a nickel catalytic cycle, a zirconium catalytic cycle, and Zr→Ni transmetalation is proposed, and Cp2 ZrCl2 and/or low-valent Zr species are suggested to play crucial dual roles.

Unified, Efficient, and Scalable Synthesis of Halichondrins: Zirconium/Nickel-Mediated One-Pot Ketone Synthesis as the Final Coupling Reaction.

Unified, efficient, and scalable syntheses of the halichondrin natural products are reported. A newly developed Zr/Ni-mediated one-pot ketone synthesis was used to couple the two halves of the final product at a late stage in the synthesis. With the use of a slight excess of the left halves, the desired ketones were isolated in yields of 80-90 %. The halichondrins were obtained from these ketones in two steps, namely desilylation and [5,5]-spiroketal formation. The new synthetic route was effective for the total synthesis of all members in the homohalichondrin subgroup. The scalability of this process was demonstrated with halichondrin B; 150 mg of halichondrin B (68 % overall yield) were obtained from 200 mg of the right-half precursor.

Fe/Cu-Mediated One-Pot Ketone Synthesis.

An Fe/Cu-mediated one-pot ketone synthesis was reported. Unlike Ni- and Pd-mediated one-pot ketone syntheses, the reported Fe/Cu-mediated method allowed selective activation and coupling of alkyl iodides over vinyl iodides. The newly developed one-pot ketone synthesis was applied to a synthesis of vinyl iodide/ketone 13, the left half of halichondrin B, as well as vinyl iodide/ketone 8a, the C20-C26 building block of halichondrins.

Design, synthesis, and cytotoxicity of stabilized mycolactone analogs.

On exposure to visible light, mycolactone A/B, the causative toxin of Buruli ulcer, rearranges to a mixture of four photo-mycolactones apparently via a rare photochemically-induced [4πs+2πa] cycloaddition. In order to prevent the rearrangement, two C6'-C7' dihydromycolactone analogs 6'α-15 and 6'ß-15 were designed and synthesized. 6'α-15 and 6'ß-15 were shown to be stable under not only photochemical, but also acidic and basic conditions. Cytotoxicity was tested against arbitrarily chosen four cell lines (human Hek-293, human lung carcinoma A-549, human melanoma LOX-IMVI, and mouse L-929), thereby revealing that: (1) both analogs maintain potent cytotoxicity; (2) 6'ß-15 exhibits significantly higher potency against human cell lines than 6'α-15; (3) in comparison with parent mycolactone A/B, 6'ß-15 exhibits equal potency against human Hek-293, whereas significantly lower potency against human lung carcinoma A-549 and human melanoma LOX-IMVI.

Extension of Pd-Mediated One-Pot Ketone Synthesis to Macrocyclization: Application to a New Convergent Synthesis of Eribulin.

Recently reported Pd-mediated one-pot ketone synthesis from an unactivated alkyl bromide and a thioester has been extended to a macrocyclic ketone synthesis. In situ generation of alkylzinc halide via single electron transfer (SET), using NbCpCl4 and CrCl3, was the key for the success of macrocyclization. A new convergent synthesis of eribulin has been achieved, using (1) catalytic asymmetric Ni/Cr-mediated coupling to form the C19-C20 bond, (2) base-induced cyclization to form the methylenetetrahydrofuran ring, and (3) Pd-mediated one-pot ketone synthesis to form the macrocyclic ketone.

One-Pot Ketone Synthesis with Alkylzinc Halides Prepared from Alkyl Halides via a Single Electron Transfer (SET) Process: New Extension of Fukuyama Ketone Synthesis.

One-pot ketone synthesis has been developed with in situ activation of alkyl halides to alkylzinc halides in the presence of thioesters and Pd-catalyst. The new method provides us with a reliable option for a coupling at a late stage in a convergent synthesis of complex molecules, with use of a near 1:1 molar ratio of coupling partners. First, two facile, orthogonal methods have been developed for preparation of alkylzinc halides: (1) direct insertion of zinc dust to 1°- and 2°-alkyl halides in the presence of LiI in DMI and (2) early transition-metal assisted activation of alkyl halides via a single electron transfer (SET) process. CrCl2 has been found as an unprecedented, inevitable mediator for preparation of alkylzinc halides from alkyl halides, where CrCl2 likely functions to trap R·, generated via a SET process, and transfer it to Zn(II) to form RZnX. In addition to a commonly used CoPc, a new radical initiator NbCpCl4 has been discovered through the study. Second, with use of the two orthogonal methods, three sets of coupling conditions have been developed to complete one-pot ketone synthesis, with Condition A (Pd2dba3, PR3, Zn, LiI, TESCl, DMI), Condition B (A + CrCl2), and Condition C (B + NbCpCl4 or CoPc) being useful for simple linear and α-substituted substrates, simple linear and ß-substituted substrates, and complex substrates, respectively. Condition C is applicable to the broadest range of substrates. Overall, one-pot ketone synthesis gives excellent yields, with good functional group tolerance. Controlled formation of alkylzinc halides by a combination of CrCl2 and NbCpCl4 or CoPc is crucial for its application to complex substrates. Interestingly, one-pot ketone synthesis does not suffer from the chemical instability due to the inevitable radical pathway(s), for example a 1,5-H shift. Notably, even with the increase in molecular size, no significant decrease in coupling efficiency has been noticed. To illustrate the synthetic value at a late stage in a complex molecule synthesis, ketone 4sc, containing all the carbons of Eribulin, has been synthesized from 1s and 3c.

Simple, Rapid Mycobacterium ulcerans Disease Diagnosis from Clinical Samples by Fluorescence of Mycolactone on Thin Layer Chromatography.

INTRODUCTION: Mycobacterium ulcerans infection, known as Buruli ulcer, is a disease of the skin and subcutaneous tissues which is an important but neglected tropical disease with its major impact in rural parts of West and Central Africa where facilities for diagnosis and management are poorly developed. We evaluated fluorescent thin layer chromatography (f-TLC) for detection of mycolactone in the laboratory using samples from patients with Buruli ulcer and patients with similar lesions that gave a negative result on PCR for the IS2404 repeat sequence of M. ulcerans. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Mycolactone and DNA extracts from fine needle aspiration (FNA), swabs and biopsy specimen were used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of f-TLC when compared with PCR for the IS2404. For 71 IS2404 PCR positive and 28 PCR negative samples the sensitivity was 73.2% and specificity of 85.7% for f-TLC. The sensitivity was similar for swabs (73%), FNAs (75%) and biopsies (70%). CONCLUSIONS: We have shown that mycolactone can be detected from M. ulcerans infected skin tissue by f-TLC technique. The technique is simple, easy to perform and read with minimal costs. In this study it was undertaken by a member of the group from each endemic country. It is a potentially implementable tool at the district level after evaluation in larger field studies.

Efficacy of Rifampin Plus Clofazimine in a Murine Model of Mycobacterium ulcerans Disease.

Treatment of Buruli ulcer, or Mycobacterium ulcerans disease, has shifted from surgical excision and skin grafting to antibiotic therapy usually with 8 weeks of daily rifampin (RIF) and streptomycin (STR). Although the results have been highly favorable, administration of STR requires intramuscular injection and carries the risk of side effects, such as hearing loss. Therefore, an all-oral, potentially less toxic, treatment regimen has been sought and encouraged by the World Health Organization. A combination of RIF plus clarithromycin (CLR) has been successful in patients first administered RIF+STR for 2 or 4 weeks. Based on evidence of efficacy of clofazimine (CFZ) in humans and mice with tuberculosis, we hypothesized that the combination of RIF+CFZ would be effective against M. ulcerans in the mouse footpad model of M. ulcerans disease because CFZ has similar MIC against M. tuberculosis and M. ulcerans. For comparison, mice were also treated with the gold standard of RIF+STR, the proposed RIF+CLR alternative regimen, or CFZ alone. Treatment was initiated after development of footpad swelling, when the bacterial burden was 4.64±0.14log10 CFU. At week 2 of treatment, the CFU counts had increased in untreated mice, remained essentially unchanged in mice treated with CFZ alone, decreased modestly with either RIF+CLR or RIF+CFZ, and decreased substantially with RIF+STR. At week 4, on the basis of footpad CFU counts, the combination regimens were ranked as follows: RIF+STR>RIF+CLR>RIF+CFZ. At weeks 6 and 8, none of the mice treated with these regimens had detectable CFU. Footpad swelling declined comparably with all of the combination regimens, as did the levels of detectable mycolactone A/B. In mice treated for only 6 weeks and followed up for 24 weeks, there were no relapses in RIF+STR treated mice, one (5%) relapse in RIF+CFZ-treated mice, but >50% in RIF+CLR treated mice. On the basis of these results, RIF+CFZ has potential as a continuation phase regimen for treatment of M. ulcerans disease.

Selective activation/coupling of polyhalogenated nucleophiles in ni/cr-mediated reactions: synthesis of c1-c19 building block of halichondrin bs.

The C1-C19 building block 46 of halichondrin Bs was synthesized via a selective activation/coupling of ß-bromoenone 34 with aldehyde 35 in a Ni/Cr-mediated reaction. The first phase of study was a method development to effect a coupling of a "naked" vinylogous anion with an aldehyde. The study with the coupling of 9 + 10 → 11 revealed: (1) ß-bromoenone 9b is a better nucleophile than the corresponding ß-iodo- and ß-chloroenones 9a,c; (2) (Me)2Phen(OMe)2·NiCl2 13b is a better Ni-catalyst than (Me)2Phen(H)2·NiCl2 13a; and (3) a low Ni-catalyst loading, for example, 0.05-0.1 mol % Ni-catalyst against 10 mol % Cr-catalyst, is crucial for an effective coupling. The second phase of study was a method development to realize a selective activation/coupling of polyhalogenated nucleophiles such as 34. The competition experiment of 10 + 9b over 10 + 31a-c revealed: (1) (Me)2Phen(OMe)2·NiCl2 13b is more effective than (Me)2Phen(H)2·NiCl2 13a for the required selective activation/coupling; (2) a low Ni-catalyst loading, for example, 0.05-0.1 mol % Ni-catalyst against 10 mol % Cr-catalyst, is crucial for discriminating ß-bromoenone 9b from the three types of vinyl iodides 31a-c. The third phase of study was an application of the developed method to execute the proposed coupling of 34 + 35 → 36. For this application, a polyether-type Ni-catalyst 37c, readily soluble in the reaction medium, was introduced to achieve the selective activation/coupling with higher efficiency. With use of ion-exchange resin-based device, the coupling product 36 was transformed to the C1-C19 building block 46 of halichondrin Bs without purification/separation of the intermediates.

Unified Synthesis of C1-C19 Building Blocks of Halichondrins via Selective Activation/Coupling of Polyhalogenated Nucleophiles in (Ni)/Cr-Mediated Reactions.

A unified synthesis of the C1-C19 building blocks 8-10 of halichondrins A-C was developed from the common synthetic intermediates 26a,b. Acetylenic ketones 26a,b were in turn synthesized via selective activation/coupling of polyhalogenated nucleophiles 23a,b with aldehyde 11 in a (Ni)/Cr-mediated coupling reaction. Compared with Ni/Cr-mediated couplings of vinyl iodides and aldehydes, this (Ni)/Cr-mediated coupling exhibited two unique features. First, the coupling was found to proceed with a trace amount or no added Ni-catalyst. Second, TES-Cl, a dissociating agent to regenerate the Cr-catalyst, was found to give a better yield than Zr(Cp)2Cl2. An adjustment of the oxidation state was required to transform acetylenic ketones 26a,b into C1-C19 building blocks 8 and 9 of halichondrins A and B, respectively. In the halichondrin B series, a hydroxyl-directed (Me)4NBH(OAc)3 reduction of E- and Z-ß-alkoxy-enones 30 was found cleanly to achieve the required transformation, whereas a DMDO oxidation of E-vinylogous ester 27 allowed to introduce the C13 hydroxyl group with a high stereoselectivity in the halichondrin A series. In the halichondrin C series, Hf(OTf)4 was used to convert the double oxy-Michael product 28 into C1-C19 building block 10.

Total synthesis of halichondrin A, the missing member in the halichondrin class of natural products.

A total synthesis of halichondrin A, the phantom member in the halichondrin class of natural products, is reported. The highlights of synthesis include: (1) synthesis of C1-C19 building block 6b via a catalytic asymmetric Cr-mediated coupling of 12 and 13b; (2) synthesis of the right-half of 19 via an asymmetric Ni/Cr-mediated coupling, followed by base-induced furan formation, and Shiina macrolactonization; (3) synthesis of enone 20 via Ni/Cr-mediated coupling of 5 with 19, followed by oxidation; (4) synthesis of halichondrin A from 20, with use of a newly discovered, highly selective TMSOTf-mediated equilibration of C38-epi-halichondrin A to halichondrin A. Two pieces of evidence are presented unambiguously to establish the structure of halichondrin A thus synthesized: one is the synthesis of norhalichondrin A (24) from 19 and 23, and the other is the study of the proton chemical shift difference between synthetic halichondrin A and known members of this class of natural products.

Accelerated detection of mycolactone production and response to antibiotic treatment in a mouse model of Mycobacterium ulcerans disease.

Diagnosis of the neglected tropical disease, Buruli ulcer, can be made by acid-fast smear microscopy, specimen culture on mycobacterial growth media, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and/or histopathology. All have drawbacks, including non-specificity and requirements for prolonged culture at 32°C, relatively sophisticated laboratory facilities, and expertise, respectively. The causative organism, Mycobacterium ulcerans, produces a unique toxin, mycolactone A/B (ML) that can be detected by thin layer chromatography (TLC) or mass spectrometric analysis. Detection by the latter technique requires sophisticated facilities. TLC is relatively simple but can be complicated by the presence of other lipids in the specimen. A method using a boronate-assisted fluorogenic chemosensor in TLC can overcome this challenge by selectively detecting ML when visualized with UV light. This report describes modifications in the fluorescent TLC (F-TLC) procedure and its application to the mouse footpad model of M. ulcerans disease to determine the kinetics of mycolactone production and its correlation with footpad swelling and the number of colony forming units in the footpad. The response of all three parameters to treatment with the current standard regimen of rifampin (RIF) and streptomycin (STR) or a proposed oral regimen of RIF and clarithromycin (CLR) was also assessed. ML was detectable before the onset of footpad swelling when there were <10(5) CFU per footpad. Swelling occurred when there were >10(5) CFU per footpad. Mycolactone concentrations increased as swelling increased whereas CFU levels reached a plateau. Treatment with either RIF+STR or RIF+CLR resulted in comparable reductions of mycolactone, footpad swelling, and CFU burden. Storage in absolute ethanol appears critical to successful detection of ML in footpads and would be practical for storage of clinical samples. F-TLC may offer a new tool for confirmation of suspected clinical lesions and be more specific than smear microscopy, much faster than culture, and simpler than PCR.

Photochemistry of mycolactone A/B, the causative toxin of Buruli ulcer.

Photochemistry of mycolactone A/B and related unsaturated fatty acid esters is reported. On exposure to visible light, mycolactone A/B gave a mixture of four photomycolactones. Pentaenoates and tetraenoates, representing the unsaturated fatty acid portion of mycolactone A/B, were found to show the reactivity profile parallel with that of mycolactone A/B. The structure of the four photomycolactones was elucidated via (1) structure determination of the four photoproducts in the tetraenoate series; (2) their transformation to the photoproducts in the pentaenoate and then mycolactone series. Triplet quenchers did not affect the photochemical transformation, thereby indicating an event at the singlet state. A concerted, photochemically allowed [4πs + 2πa] cycloaddition was suggested to account for the observed result. This study provided the structurally defined and homogeneous material, which allowed demonstration that photomycolactones exhibit significantly reduced cytotoxicity, compared with mycolactone A/B.

Synthesis and structure of two new mycolactones isolated from M. ulcerans subsp. shinshuense.

Two new mycolactones, mycolactones S1 and S2, were isolated from culture agar of Mycobacterium ulcerans subsp. shinshuense. Their structures were established in a three-step procedure: (1) probable structures were speculated from MS analysis; (2) candidates were synthesized; (3) HPLC profiles were established for identification of the natural products. Newly isolated mycolactones correspond to the "oxidized forms" of mycolactone A/B, the causative toxin of Buruli ulcer, isolated from Mycobacterium ulcerans.