Total Synthesis and Anticancer Activity of (+)-Hypercalin†C and Congeners.

ABSTRACT

The hypercalins are dearomatized acylphloroglucinols with a pendant complex cyclopentane ring that exhibit activity against several cancer cell lines. We report the first total synthesis of (+)-hypercalin C employing a convergent strategy that enabled the dissection of the essential structural features required for the observed anticancer activity. A strategic disconnection involving an unusual C sp3 -C sp2 Suzuki-Miyaura coupling with an α-bromo enolether also revealed an unexpected C-H activation. This strategy targeted designed analogues along the synthetic route to address particular biological questions. These results support the hypothesis that hypercalin C may act as a proton shuttle with the dearomatized acylphloroglucinol moiety being essential for this activity.