Synthesis of Tetramic Acid Fragments Derived from Vancoresmycin Showing Inhibitory Effects towards S. aureus.

An efficient route to various vancoresmycin-type tetramic acids has been developed. The modular route is based on an effective Fries-type rearrangement to introduce various appending acetyl residues. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of the new tetramic acids against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were determined, revealing that three of the new compounds exhibit antimicrobial activity against S. aureus. These bioactive compounds were structurally most closely related to the authentic vancoresmycin building block. Additionally, the compounds induced a lial-lux bioreporter, which responds to cell wall stress induced by antibiotics that interfere with the lipid II biosynthesis cycle. These data suggest the tetramic acid moiety to be a part of the vancoresmycin pharmacophore.

Bivalent Metal-Chelating Properties of Harzianic Acid Produced by Trichoderma pleuroticola Associated to the Gastropod Melarhaphe neritoides.

Harzianic acid is a secondary metabolite of Trichoderma, structurally belonging to the dienyltetramic acid subgroup of the tetramic acids. Biological activities of harzianic acid are of great interest for its antimicrobial and plant growth-promoting activities, which might be related to its chelating properties. In the present work harzianic acid, isolated from cultures of a strain of Trichoderma pleuroticola associated to the gastropod Melarhaphe neritoides, was studied as a complexant agent of a number of biologically relevant transition metals (i.e., Zn2+, Fe2+, Cu2+, and Mn2+), using UV-VIS, potentiometry, MS and NMR techniques. Our findings show the coordination capacity of harzianic acid toward the above cations through the formation of neutral or charged complexes in a variable ratio depending on the metal and pH conditions.

Bioinspired Synthesis of (-)-PF-1018.

The combination of electrocyclizations and cycloadditions accounts for the formation of a range of fascinating natural products. Cascades consisting of 8π electrocyclizations followed by a 6π electrocyclization and a cycloaddition are relatively common. We now report the synthesis of the tetramic acid PF-1018 through an 8π electrocyclization, the product of which is immediately intercepted by a Diels-Alder cycloaddition. The success of this pericyclic cascade was critically dependent on the substitution pattern of the starting polyene and could be rationalized through DFT calculations. The completion of the synthesis required the instalment of a trisubstituted double bond by radical deoxygenation. An unexpected side product formed through 4-exo-trig radical cyclization could be recycled through an unprecedented triflation/fragmentation.

Discovery of natural products with metal-binding properties as promising antibacterial agents.

INTRODUCTION: More than 50% of the clinically established antibiotics are either genuine natural products or derivatives thereof, featuring a mode of action decisively depending on their metal affinity and suitability as metal complex ligands. As their structural diversity and harvest from renewable sources is well-nigh inexhaustible, any future quest for affordable new antibiotics will have to concentrate on natural drugs with obvious metal ligating properties. Areas covered: The authors provide an overview of the promising developments in the field of antibiotic natural products with metal-binding properties with a specific focus on metal binders such as polyphenols, quinones, 3-acyltetramic and -tetronic acids. Works published by the authors are discussed in this manuscript as well as articles derived from PubMed and Scifinder. Expert opinion: Natural products with metal-binding properties possess a great potential for the development of drugs against various bacteria. There are many derivatives with great potential against multidrug-resistant bacteria as well. Synthetic approaches to structurally complex and/or rare natural products have added significantly to the cracking of synthetic problems. Thus, this field of scientific research appears attractive both to chemists and to clinicians.

New Tetramic Acids Comprising of Decalin and Pyridones From Chaetomium olivaceum SD-80A With Antimicrobial Activity.

Cycloaddition reactions such as intramolecular Diels-Alder (IMDA) are extremely important in constructing multicyclic scaffolds with diverse bioactivities. Using MycB as a biomarker, three new polyketides - Chaetolivacines A (1), B (3), and C (4) - with one known compound Myceliothermophin E (2) comprising of decalin and 4-hydroxy-2-pyridones were obtained from the culture of Chaetomium olivaceum SD-80A under the guidance of gene mining. The structures of these compounds were established using detailed 1D, 2D NMR, and high-resolution electron spray ionization mass spectroscopy (HRESIMS) analysis. The relative and absolute configurations of the compounds 1, 3, and 4 were elucidated by NOESY and ECD. The biosynthesis pathways of these compounds were proposed, which involves in three key genes ChaA [polyketide synthase-non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (PKS-NRPS)], ChaB, and ChaC. Compounds 1-4 were tested for their antimicrobial activities, and compounds 2 and 3 showed moderate bioactivity against Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) with MIC values of 15.8 and 27.1 µM. The results showed that configuration of C-21 in 3 and 4 is important for anti-SA and anti-MRSA activities. This study reveals the significant potential of the genus Chaetomium in producing new PKS-NRPS, therefore increasing the speed in the mining for new sources of antimicrobial agents.

New ß-lactam - Tetramic acid hybrids show promising antibacterial activities.

ß-Lactams are the most important class of antibiotics, for which the emergence of resistance threatens their utility. As such, we explored the extent to which the tetramic acid motif, frequently found in naturally occurring antibiotics, can be used to generate novel ß-lactam antibiotics with improved antibacterial activity. We synthesized new ampicillin - tetramic acid, cephalosporin - tetramic acid, and cephamycin - tetramic acid analogs and evaluated their activities against problematic Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. Amongst the analogs, a 7-aminocephalosporanic acid analog, 3397, and a 7-amino-3-vinyl cephalosporanic acid, 3436, showed potent activities against S. aureus NRS 70 (MRSA) with MICs of 6.25 µg/mL and 3.13 µg/mL respectively. These new analogs were ≥16-fold more potent than cefaclor and cephalexin. Additionally, a Δ2 cephamycin - tetramic acid analog 3474 which contained a basic guanidinium substituent at the 5-position of the tetramic acid core displayed potent activity against several clinical strains of K. pneumoniae and E. coli.

A Synthetic Route to ß-Hydroxytyrosine-Derived Tetramic Acids: Total Synthesis of the Fungal Metabolite F-14329.

3-Acyltetramic acids derived from ß-hydroxytyrosine are synthetically challenging. The first route to this structural motif, based upon a condensation between a Meldrum's acid conjugate bearing the acyl side chain, and a ß-hydroxytyrosinate, N-protected by an ortho-nitrobenzyl group is presented. This group enables the Dieckmann cyclization of the resulting N-(ß-ketoacyl)amino ester, after which it can be removed photolytically without compromising the delicate 3'-hydroxy group. This strategy was applied to the first total synthesis of the fungal metabolite F-14329 (1).

Total Synthesis of Aurantoside†G, an N-ß-Glycosylated 3-Oligoenoyltetramic Acid from Theonella swinhoei.

The first synthesis of a natural N-glycosylated 3-acyltetramic acid is reported. Aurantoside G (1 g), a deep-red metabolite of the marine sponge Theonella swinhoei, is highly delicate in the pure state. It features a chlorinated dodecapentaenoyl side chain at an l-asparagine-derived tetramic acid, the ring nitrogen atom of which is linked to a ß-configured d-xylose. The side chain was built through consecutive Wittig and HWE reactions and used to N-acylate the amino group of an asparaginate that had already been N-xylosylated through a Fukuyama-Mitsunobu reaction. This N-acylation step fixes the ß-configuration of the xylose, which is essential for the antifungal activity, but only if the sugar carries bulky, electron-rich protecting groups such as PMB. In the final step, the heterocycle was closed quantitatively through a basic Lacey-Dieckmann condensation of an entirely unprotected precursor.

The Synthesis of Stable, Complex Organocesium Tetramic Acids through the Ugi Reaction and Cesium-Carbonate-Promoted Cascades.

Two structurally unique organocesium carbanionic tetramic acids have been synthesized through expeditious and novel cascade reactions of strategically functionalized Ugi skeletons delivering products with two points of potential diversification. This is the first report of the use of multicomponent reactions and subsequent cascades to access complex, unprecedented organocesium architectures. Moreover, this article also highlights the first use of mild cesium carbonate as a cesium source for the construction of cesium organometallic scaffolds. Relativistic DFT calculations provide an insight into the electronic structure of the reported compounds.

A simple and efficient method for the preparation of 5-hydroxy-3-acyltetramic acids.

Oxidation of the bisenolates of 3-acyltetramic acid to the corresponding 5-hydroxylated compounds using molecular oxygen is reported. The deprotection of the resulting compounds was also achieved.

Stereochemical assignment of the protein-protein interaction inhibitor JBIR-22 by total synthesis.

Recent reports have highlighted the biological activity associated with a subfamily of the tetramic acid class of natural products. Despite the fact that members of this subfamily act as protein-protein interaction inhibitors that are of relevance to proteasome assembly, no synthetic work has been reported. This may be due to the fact that this subfamily contains an unnatural 4,4-disubstitued glutamic acid, the synthesis of which provides a key challenge. A highly stereoselective route to a masked form of this unnatural amino acid now enabled the synthesis of two of the possible diastereomers of JBIR-22 and allowed the assignment of its relative and absolute stereochemistry.

α- and ß-Lipomycin: total syntheses by sequential stille couplings and assignment of the absolute configuration of all stereogenic centers.

40 years ago spectroscopy, derivatization, and degradation revealed the structures of α-lipomycin and its aglycon ß-lipomycin except for the configurations of their side-chain stereocenters. We synthesized all relevant ß-lipomycin candidates: the (12R,13S) isomer has the same specific rotational value as the natural product. By the same criterion the (12R,13S)-configured D-digitoxide is identical to α-lipomycin. We double-checked our assignments by degrading α- and ß-lipomycin to the diesters 33 and 34 and proving their 3D structures synthetically.