A General Strategy for the Construction of Calyciphylline†A-Type Alkaloids: Divergent Total Syntheses of (-)-Daphenylline and (-)-Himalensine†A.

An efficient general strategy for the synthesis of the Daphniphyllum alkaloids via the rapid construction of a common core intermediate has been established, based on which a divergent total synthesis of (-)-daphenylline and (-)-himalensine A has been accomplished in 16 and 19 steps, respectively. The present work features an enantioselective Mg(ClO4 )2 -catalyzed intramolecular amidocyclization to construct the aza-bridged core structure; a Cu-catalyzed intramolecular cyclopropanation and subsequent phosphine-catalyzed Cope-type rearrangement to furnish the himalensine A scaffold; and a one-pot Diels-Alder/aromatization method to assemble the aromatic skeleton of daphenylline.

Total Synthesis of (-)-Daphenylline.

A concise and highly stereoselective total synthesis of the Daphniphyllum alkaloids (-)-daphenylline has been accomplished. The synthesis was started from (S)-carvone and proceeded via a stereoselective Mg(ClO4 )2 -catalyzed intramolecular amide addition cyclization, an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction to construct the ABCD tetracyclic core architecture, and a Robinson annulation coupled with an oxidative aromatization sequence. Finally, the DF ring system was installed through an intramolecular Friedel-Crafts cyclization. The total synthesis of (-)-daphenylline is achieved in 19 steps in the longest reaction sequence and in 7.6 % overall yield.

General entry to aspidosperma alkaloids: enantioselective total synthesis of (-)-aspidophytine.

A general approach toward the asymmetric total synthesis of various aspidosperma alkaloids includes the combination of a C-H bond activation with a Heck-type coupling, and the stereo-controlled formation of piperidine and pyrrolidine rings as key steps. The feasibility of this approach was demonstrated with the total synthesis of aspidophytine in 18 steps from 4,4-disubstituted cyclohexanedione and 2,3-dimethoxyaniline.

Synthesis of 2-iminothiazolidin-4-ones via copper-catalyzed [2 + 1 + 2] tandem annulation.

In this paper, an efficient synthesis of 2-iminothiazolidin-4-ones through a copper-catalyzed tandem annulation reaction of alkyl amines, isothiocyanates and diazo acetates is presented. Notable advantages of this [2 + 1 + 2] cyclization methodology include readily accessible starting materials, simple operation, mild reaction conditions, high yields, step-economy and diverse functional group tolerance. In addition, the reaction is applicable to the gram scale synthesis and the preparation of bioactive molecules.

A convergent stereocontrolled total synthesis of (-)-terpestacin.

A stereocontrolled total synthesis of (-)-terpestacin has been achieved starting from (R)-(-)-carvone as a chiral pool and (E,E)-farnesol via a highly convergent approach. Thus, (R)-(-)-carvone was transformed into the cyclopentanone segment through a series of high yielding operations with the proper setup of all the stereochemical centers while (E,E)-farnesol was converted into the other requisite building block via a series of high yielding reactions. The cyclopentanone intermediate was both selectively enolized and alkylated at room temperature to yield the desired coupling product, which provided the natural product upon further transformations.

Highly Diastereo- and Enantioselective Formal [4 + 2] Cyclization of Nitroalkenes and Unsaturated Ketoesters under Phase-Transfer Catalysis.

A highly diastereo- and enantioselective formal [4 + 2] cyclization of α,ß-unsaturated ketoesters with nitroalkenes through a tandem asymmetric Michael addition-intramolecular Henry reaction under dihydroquinine-based phase-transfer catalysis, leading to a one-pot construction of four contiguous stereochemical centers and multiple functional groups with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities in high yields, has been developed. The ee values of some products were increased to ∼100% in good yields after one crystallization.

CH05-10, a novel indinavir analog, is a broad-spectrum antitumor agent that induces cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, endoplasmic reticulum stress and autophagy.

Indinavir, a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease inhibitor, inhibits the growth of tumor cells in vivo but does not show any cytotoxicity against cancer cells in vitro. To optimize the anticancer activity of indinavir, two novel analogs, CH05-0 and CH05-10, were synthesized. CH05-10 was much more cytotoxic than indinavir and had similar cytotoxicity to nelfinavir, the one with the best anticancer activities among all HIV protease inhibitors examined. For 14 cell lines representing 10 different types of human malignancies, the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) values of CH05-10 are in the range of 4.64-38.87 µM. Further detailed studies using the lung cancer cell line A549 as the model system showed that the effect of CH05-10 on the A549 cell line is both time- and dose-dependent. The CH05-10 treatment not only induced cell cycle arrest at G(1) and caused caspase-dependent apoptosis, but also resulted in caspase-independent death via the induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress and unfolded protein response. These findings demonstrate that CH05-10, a novel indinavir analog, is a potent anticancer agent with pleiotropic effects.

Tandem [5 + 2]/[4 + 2] Cycloadditions To Construct the [6-7-6] Tricyclic Skeleton of Icetexane Diterpenes: Total Synthesis of Euolutchuol E, Przewalskine E and Brussonol.

The collective total synthesis of the icetexane diterpenoids euolutchuol E, przewalskine E, and brussonol is described. An efficient synthetic strategy features two key transformations: (a) a tandem [5 + 2]/[4 + 2] cycloaddition reaction strategy to efficiently build the full-carbon skeleton of the icetexane diterpenoids; (b) an efficient aromatization of the C-ring of the icetexane diterpenoids using SeO2.

Fenofibrate metabolism in the cynomolgus monkey using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry-based metabolomics.

Fenofibrate, widely used for the treatment of dyslipidemia, activates the nuclear receptor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha. However, liver toxicity, including liver cancer, occurs in rodents treated with fibrate drugs. Marked species differences occur in response to fibrate drugs, especially between rodents and humans, the latter of which are resistant to fibrate-induced cancer. Fenofibrate metabolism, which also shows species differences, has not been fully determined in humans and surrogate primates. In the present study, the metabolism of fenofibrate was investigated in cynomolgus monkeys by ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOFMS)-based metabolomics. Urine samples were collected before and after oral doses of fenofibrate. The samples were analyzed in both positive-ion and negative-ion modes by UPLC-QTOFMS, and after data deconvolution, the resulting data matrices were subjected to multivariate data analysis. Pattern recognition was performed on the retention time, mass/charge ratio, and other metabolite-related variables. Synthesized or purchased authentic compounds were used for metabolite identification and structure elucidation by liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry. Several metabolites were identified, including fenofibric acid, reduced fenofibric acid, fenofibric acid ester glucuronide, reduced fenofibric acid ester glucuronide, and compound X. Another two metabolites (compound B and compound AR), not previously reported in other species, were characterized in cynomolgus monkeys. More importantly, previously unknown metabolites, fenofibric acid taurine conjugate and reduced fenofibric acid taurine conjugate were identified, revealing a previously unrecognized conjugation pathway for fenofibrate.

Asymmetric Synthesis of the DEFG Rings of Solanoeclepin A.

Starting from ( R)-seudenol, an asymmetric synthesis of the DEFG rings of solanoeclepin A has been developed. The key transformations include the substrate-controlled asymmetric Staudinger ketene cycloaddition and the intramolecular aldol reaction leading to the tricyclo[5.2.1.01,6]decane core of solanoeclepin A in 10 steps in the longest reaction sequence.

One-Pot Enantioselective Synthesis of 2-Pyrrolidinone Derivatives Bearing a Trifluoromethylated All-Carbon Quaternary Stereocenter.

A new methodology for the one-pot enantioselective construction of 2-pyrrolidinone derivatives bearing a trifluoromethylated all-carbon quaternary stereocenter at the 4-position has been described. This strategy combines an organocatalytic conjugate addition of nitroalkanes to isatin-derived α-trifluoromethyl acrylates and a reduction/lactamization process, affording the corresponding products in moderate to high yields (50-95%) with generally excellent stereoselectivities (up to 96% ee and >20:1 dr).

A divergent and concise total synthesis of (-)-lycoposerramine R and (+)-lycopladine A.

A concise, asymmetric and divergent synthesis of lycoposerramine R and lycopladine A is presented. The synthesis features the palladium-catalyzed cycloalkenylation of a silyl enol ether for assembling the 5/6-hydrindane system and generating a quaternary carbon center in one step.

Stereoselective Synthesis of Homofarnesenes: Establishment of an Efficient Method for the Stereoselective Preparation of Acyclic Tetrasubstituted Olefins.

A new method for the stereoselective synthesis of tetrasubstituted olefins is described. ß-Ketophosphonates are alkylated via conventional methods, and a Grignard reagent is used to diastereoselectively add to the carbonyl group of the resulting intermediates. The elimination of hydroxyl phosphonates yielded the desired tetrasubstituted olefins in a stereoselective manner. Thus, homofarnesenes of fire ant trail pheromones have been synthesized efficiently using this strategy.

Regio and Enantioselective Organocatalytic Friedel-Crafts Alkylation of 4-Aminoindoles at the C7-Position.

A chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed highly regio- and enantioselective Friedel-Crafts alkylation at the indole C7-position was developed via the introduction of an alkylamine moiety at the C4-position of the indole ring. The methodology is applicable to a wide range of 4-aminoindoles and ß,γ-unsaturated α-ketimino esters to furnish the corresponding C7-position functionalized chiral indole derivatives in high yields with moderate to excellent enantioselectivities. Furthermore, the α-ketimino ester moiety in the products is a versatile building block and enables many further transformations.

Total Synthesis of (+)-Aplykurodinone-1.

Starting from (R)-citronellic acid and (R)-seudenol, the total synthesis of (+)-aplykurodinone-1, a highly degraded marine steroid, has been achieved in 11 steps and in 19% overall yield with excellent stereochemical control. In addition to the features such as an Ireland-Claisen rearrangement, an intramolecular carbonyl-ene cyclization, and an intramolecular Michael addition, the present synthetic strategy is accomplished without the use of protecting groups.

Total synthesis of (+)-gelsemine via an organocatalytic Diels-Alder approach.

The structurally complex alkaloid gelsemine was previously thought to have no significant biological activities, but a recent study has shown that it has potent and specific antinociception in chronic pain. While this molecule has attracted significant interests from the synthetic community, an efficient synthetic strategy is still the goal of many synthetic chemists. Here we report the asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-gelsemine, including a highly diastereoselective and enantioselective organocatalytic Diels-Alder reaction, an efficient intramolecular trans-annular aldol condensation furnishing the prolidine ring and establishing the configuration of the C20 quaternary carbon stereochemical centre. The entire gelsemine skeleton was constructed through a late-stage intramolecular SN2 substitution. The enantiomeric excess of this total synthesis is over 99%, and the overall yield is around 5%.

A concise total synthesis of (±)-minfiensine.

A concise total synthesis of (±)-minfiensine using all conventional methods and starting from commercial materials has been completed. The synthesis features a Fischer indole synthesis, a Heck alkylation of an intermediate ketone enolate, conversion of a ketone carbonyl into an epoxide, and transformation of the latter into an allylic alcohol.

Expedient construction of the Ziegler intermediate useful for the synthesis of forskolin via consecutive rearrangements.

The Ziegler intermediate, useful for the total synthesis of forskolin, was synthesized in 10 reaction steps starting from commercially available alpha-ionone. This highly efficient synthesis relies on the success of two consecutive highly regio- and stereoselective rearrangements. The current synthesis has not only established an efficient synthetic route to access the Ziegler intermediate but it has also paved a way to the structural optimization of forskolin.