Total Synthesis, Structure Reassignment, and Biological Evaluation of the Anti-Inflammatory Macrolactone 13-Hydroxy-14-deoxyoxacyclododecindione.

Herein, the first total synthesis of natural 13-hydroxy-14-deoxyoxacyclododecindione along with the revision of the proposed configuration is reported. This natural product, initially discovered in 2018, belongs to the oxacyclododecindione family, renowned for their remarkable anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic activities. The synthetic route involves an esterification/Friedel-Crafts-acylation approach and uses various triol fragments. It allows the preparation of different stereoisomers, including the (revised) natural product, two threo-derivatives, and two Z-isomers of the endocyclic C═C double bond. Furthermore, a late-stage inversion of the C-13 stereocenter could transform the originally proposed structure into the revised natural product. With this comprehensive set of compounds and the previously prepared (13R,14S,15R)-isomer, deeper insights into their structural properties and biological activities were obtained. A detailed analysis of the final macrolactones using spectroscopy (NMR, IR, UV-vis) and X-ray crystallography gave new insights such as the significance of the optical rotation for the elucidation of their configuration and the light-induced E/Z double-bond photoisomerization. The pharmacological potential of the compounds was underlined by remarkably low IC50 values in biological assays addressing the inhibition of cellular inflammatory responses.

Hantzsch Ester-Mediated Photochemical Transformations in the Ketone Series: Remote C(sp3)-H Arylation and Cyclopentene Synthesis through Strain Release.

A metal-free Hantzsch ester-mediated synthesis of cyclopentenylketones as well as γ-hetarylketones starting from ketocyclopropanes under eco-friendly conditions was developed. The versatility of the developed conditions is shown by reacting ketocyclopropanes in both a formal [3 + 2] cycloaddition with terminal alkynes (further investigated using theoretical calculations) and a radical C-C-coupling with cyanopyridines. The newly developed methodologies were later on utilized as a downstream reaction for photogenerated cyclopropanes combining UV and visible light photochemistry. Following this procedure, a UV-driven Norrish-Yang-type reaction induces the ring strain of the intermediates, which serves as activation energy for the subsequent ring transformation.