Search

This article provides a detailed report of our efforts to synthesize the dithiodiketopiperazine (DTP) natural products (−)‐epicoccin G and (−)‐rostratin A using a double C(sp3)−H activation strategy. The strategy's viability was first established on a model system lacking the C8/C8' alcohols. Then, an efficient stereoselective route including an organocatalytic epoxidation was secured to access a key bis‐triflate substrate. This bis‐triflate served as the functional handles for the key transformation of the synthesis: a double C(sp3)−H activation. The successful double activation opened access to a common intermediate for both natural products in high overall yield and on a multigram scale. After several unsuccessful attempts, this intermediate was efficiently converted to (−)‐epicoccin G and to the more challenging (−)‐rostratin A via suitable oxidation/reduction and protecting group sequences, and via a final sulfuration that occurred in good yield and high diastereoselectivity. These efforts culminated in the synthesis of (−)‐epicoccin G and (−)‐rostratin A in high overall yields (19.6 % over 14 steps and 12.7 % over 17 steps, respectively), with the latter being obtained on a 500 mg scale. Toxicity assessments of these natural products and several analogues (including the newly synthesized epicoccin K) in the leukemia cell line K562 confirmed the importance of the disulfide bridge for activity and identified dianhydrorostratin A as a 20x more potent analogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a detailed report of our efforts to synthesize the dithiodiketopiperazine (DTP) natural products (-)-epicoccin G and (-)-rostratin A using a double C(sp 3 )-H activation strategy. The strategy's viability was first established on a model system lacking the C8/C8' alcohols. Then, an efficient stereoselective route including an organocatalytic epoxidation was secured to access a key bis-triflate substrate. This bis-triflate served as the functional handles for the key transformation of the synthesis: a double C(sp 3 )-H activation. The successful double activation opened access to a common intermediate for both natural products in high overall yield and on a multigram scale. After several unsuccessful attempts, this intermediate was efficiently converted to (-)-epicoccin G and to the more challenging (-)-rostratin A via suitable oxidation/reduction and protecting group sequences, and via a final sulfuration that occurred in good yield and high diastereoselectivity. These efforts culminated in the synthesis of (-)-epicoccin G and (-)-rostratin A in high overall yields (19.6 % over 14 steps and 12.7 % over 17 steps, respectively), with the latter being obtained on a 500 mg scale. Toxicity assessments of these natural products and several analogues (including the newly synthesized epicoccin K) in the leukemia cell line K562 confirmed the importance of the disulfide bridge for activity and identified dianhydrorostratin A as a 20x more potent analogue., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Dithiodiketopiperazines are complex polycyclic natural products possessing a variety of interesting biological activities. Despite their interest, relatively few total syntheses have been completed. We herein report the enantioselective, scalable, and divergent total synthesis of two symmetrical pentacyclic dithiodiketopiperazines, (-)-epicoccin G and (-)-rostratin A. A common intermediate was synthesized on a multigram scale from inexpensive, commercially available starting materials using an enantioselective organocatalytic epoxidation and a double C(sp 3 )-H activation as key steps, with the latter allowing the efficient simultaneous construction of the two five-membered rings. In addition to the cis,cis -fused target (-)-epiccocin G, the more challenging (-)-rostratin A, possessing two trans ring junctions, was obtained for the first time on a 500 mg scale through the optimization of each step and validation on multigram quantities. Both natural products were synthesized with high overall yields (13-20%). This study should facilitate access to this fascinating and yet understudied family of biologically active natural products.