Total synthesis of indole-3-acetonitrile-4-methoxy-2-C-ß-D-glucopyranoside. Proposal for structural revision of the natural product.

Indole-3-acetonitrile-4-methoxy-2-C-ß-D-glucopyranoside (1), a novel C-glycoside from Isatis indigotica with important cytotoxic activity, has been prepared in ten steps from ethynyl-ß-C-glycoside 3 and 2-iodo-3-nitrophenyl acetate 6. Key steps in the synthesis include a Sonogashira coupling and a CuI-mediated indole formation. NMR spectroscopic data for synthetic 1 differs from that reported for the natural product. A revised structure for the natural product, containing an alternate carbohydrate substituent, is proposed.