A stereoselective approach towards a small library of cytotoxic isomeric sphingoid bases.

Two approaches to a small library of cytotoxic dihydrosphingosine analogues are described. [3,3]-Sigmatropic rearrangements along with an OCM reaction were used as the key steps for the construction of the two isodihydrosphingosines ent-6 and 10, whereas the functional group manipulations, including Grubbs' metathesis chemistry, were applied to known isothiocyanate scaffolds 15 and 16 to provide access to the enantiomeric forms of ent-6 and 10 and diastereomeric isophytosphingosines ent-7.HCl and 14. Cell viability experiments revealed that the target isomeric sphingoid bases were more potent than the traditional anticancer agent cisplatin, with IC50 values in the low micromolar range for the most active compounds.

Total synthesis and the anticancer activity of (+)-spisulosine.

The total synthesis of the anticancer agent (+)-spisulosine has been accomplished. The strategy involved a substrate-controlled aza-Claisen rearrangement to establish the erythro-configured amino-alcohol motif followed by deoxygenation to create a methyl side-chain. Subsequent Wittig olefination then permitted the construction of the carbon backbone of the target molecule. To investigate the antiproliferative effect of 1, its biological profile was examined on a panel of 6 human malignant cell lines and demonstrated the significant anticancer activity of 1 on at least five of the evaluated lines with IC50 < 1 µM (MCF-7, HTC-116, Caco-2, Jurkat and HeLa).

Total synthesis and antiproliferative/cytotoxic profiling of 2-epi-jaspine B.

A straightforward access to 2-epi-jaspine B (4.HCl) has been developed. Key to the approach was the use of Overman rearrangement for the instalment of a stereocentre bearing a nitrogen atom. Subsequent rational execution of the stereoselective transformations furnished the functionalized scaffold 38, whose coupling with a lipophilic segment under Wittig conditions, followed by deprotection and a THF core construction, completed the convergent synthesis of 2-epimer of 1. The final anhydrophytosphingosine 4.HCl was screened for its antiproliferative/cytotoxic activity employing multiple human cancer cell lines. In vitro evaluation revealed that 2-epi-jaspine B exhibited significant antitumour growth inhibitory activity against all used cells.

Total synthesis of pachastrissamine together with its 4-epi-congener via [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangements and antiproliferative/cytotoxic evaluation.

Synthesis of the HCl salts of two anhydrophytosphingosines, jaspine B (1) and its 4-epi-congener 5 from easily available dimethyl l-tartrate and/or l-arabinose, is described. The key transformations are the efficient incorporation of a chiral amino group via [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangements, a Wittig olefination for the instalment of the carbon backbone and the acid-promoted building-up of a tetrahydrofuran framework. Evaluation for in vitro antiproliferative/cytotoxic activity with a panel of human tumour cell lines using a MTT assay revealed for some compounds of our strategy noteworthy activity. Compound 1·HCl (IC50: 0. 41-2.35 µM), its antipode ent-1·HCl (IC50: 4.07-5.69 µM) and also stereoisomer 4·HCl (IC50: 4.28-6.10 µM) exhibited significant potency compared with clinically available anticancer drugs such as cisplatin (IC50: 11.4-14.7 µM) and etoposide (IC50: 1.2-21.2 µM) on MDA-MB-231, MCF-7 and Jurkat cells.