Structure elucidation and 1H/13C NMR spectral assignments of four trabectedin related compounds.

This article presents the structure elucidation of four new compounds, formed during the hemisynthetic preparation of trabectedin, an anti-tumor natural product from Ecteinascidia turbinata. We report herein on the use of UV, MS and NMR spectroscopic data along with (1)H and (13)C spectral assignments obtained by means of 1D and 2D homo- and heteronuclear NMR techniques.

Synthesis, conformational analysis, and cytotoxicity of conformationally constrained aplidine and tamandarin A analogues incorporating a spirolactam beta-turn mimetic.

With the aim of studying the contribution of the beta II turn conformation at the side chain of didemnins to the bioactive conformation responsible for their antitumoral activity, conformationally restricted analogues of aplidine and tamandarin A, where the side chain dipeptide Pro8-N-Me-d-Leu7 is replaced with the spirolactam beta II turn mimetic (5R)-7-[(1R)-1-carbonyl-3-methylbutyl]-6-oxo-1,7-diazaspiro[4.4]nonane, were prepared. Additionally, restricted analogues, where the aplidine (pyruvyl9) or tamandarin A [(S)-Lac9] acyl groups are replaced with the isobutyryl, Boc, and 2-methylacryloyl groups, were also prepared. These structural modifications were detrimental to cytotoxic activity, leading to a decrease of 1-2 orders of magnitude with respect to that exhibited by aplidine and tamandarin A. The conformational analysis of one of these spirolactam aplidine analogues, by NMR and molecular modeling methods, showed that the conformational restriction caused by the spirolactam does not produce significant changes in the overall conformation of aplidine, apart from preferentially stabilizing the trans rotamer at the pyruvyl9-spirolactam amide bond, whereas in aplidine both cis and trans rotamers at the pyruvyl9-Pro8 amide bond are more or less equally stabilized. These results seem to indicate a preference for the cis form at that amide bond in the bioactive conformation of aplidine. The significant influence of this cis/trans isomerism upon the cytotoxicity suggests a possible participation of a peptidylprolyl cis/trans isomerase in the mechanism of action of aplidine.

Alkyne-Co(2)(CO)(6) Complexes in the Synthesis of Fused Tricyclic beta-Lactam and Azetidine Systems(,)(1).

A synthetic approach to racemic and enantiomerically pure, fused tricyclic 2-azetidinones and azetidines has been developed by using a Pauson-Khand (P-K) reaction on monocyclic enyne-beta-lactams as the key synthetic step. The access to cyclization precursors, monocyclic beta-lactams 1-7, was achieved by Staüdinger reaction of enyne imines 8 and 9 and D-glyceraldehyde imines 10 and (benzyloxy)- or phenoxyacetyl chlorides. Enyne imines 8 and 9 formed cis-2-azetidinones 1 and 2 having the required enyne moiety. cis-2-Azetidinones 11 were obtained as single diastereomers and transformed to enyne-2-azetidinones 3 and 5 by standard methodology. Alternatively, 4-formyl-2-azetidinones 14 were prepared by cyclization of p-anisyl glyoxal diimine and (benzyloxy)acetyl chloride and converted to racemic enyne-beta-lactams 4 and 6 by standard reactions. Enyne-2-azetidinones 1-7 were reacted with Co(2)(CO)(8) to quantitatively yield the corresponding alkyne-Co(2)(CO)(6) complexes. Reaction of such complexes with different promoters, especially heat and TMANO, formed tricyclic 2-azetidinones 15-19 with the ring system fused to the C3-C4 and C4-N1 lactam bonds. Yields were usually high, and the processes were highly diastereoselective. The exceptions were enyne-2-azetidinones 2 and 3a bearing N-propargyl moieties. These products decomposed to mixtures of unidentifiable products. Inhibition of the amide resonance was postulated as responsible for the failure of beta-lactams 2 and 3a to form tricyclic systems. In fact, the analogous enyne-azetidines 20a,b smoothly cyclized to form the corresponding tricyclic systems. This approach to tricyclic azetidines was extended to prepare different products. A new, unprecedented, N1-C2 bond breakage was also observed in the azetidine ring. The results described show that the P-K reaction is a suitable approach to tricyclic 2-azetidinones and azetidines. These are the first examples reported for a P-K reaction in with the enyne system is tethered to a strained heterocyclic four-membered ring.

The Intramolecular Aldol Condensation Route to Fused Bi- and Tricyclic beta-Lactams(1)(,)(2).

Staüdinger cycloaddition of activated acid chlorides to 1,3-ketoaldimines, prepared in quantitative yields from 1,3-ketoaldehydes and amino esters, gave in excellent yields cis-2-azetidinones, 6-8, having the adequate functionality to obtain fused bi- and tricyclic beta-lactams. Reaction of compounds 6 with LHMDS at low temperature gave a single diastereomer of fused bicyclic compounds with a carbapenam or carbacefam skeleton. Treatment of diastereomeric cis-2-azetidinones, 7/8, in analogous conditions resulted either in the exclusive cyclization of one of the two diastereomers to form tricyclic [4.n.m] (n = 5, 6; m = 5, 6) compounds, or in the cyclization of both diastereomers to form tricyclic [4.n.7] (n = 5, 6) 2-azetidinones. In all cases the cyclization step was totally stereoselective. Alternatively, trans-carbapenams and one example of a tricyclic system having a trans-2-azetidinone ring have been obtained by using longer reaction times and higher temperatures. Epimerization at C3 of the 2-azetidinone nucleus occurs in these reaction conditions to obtain a single diastereomer of the final products. This approach to fused policyclic 2-azetidinones is one of the scarce syntheses of this kind of compound making use of the aldol condensation.