Aplyronine A, a potent antitumor substance of marine origin, aplyronines B and C, and artificial analogues: Total synthesis and structure-cytotoxicity relationships

The enantioselective total synthesis of aplyronine A (1), a potent antitumor substance of marine origin, was achieved by a convergent-approach Three segments 4, 5, and 6, corresponding to the C5-C11, C21-C27, and C28-C34 portions of aplyronine A (1), were prepared using:the Evans aldol reaction and the Sharpless epoxidation as key steps. The coupling reaction of 4 with iodide 7 followed by julia olefination with sulfone 8 gave the C5-C20 segment 9, while the julia coupling reaction between segments 5 and 6 provided the C21-C34 segment 10. Julia olefination between segments 9 and 10 and the subsequent four-carbon homologation reaction led to seco acid 83, which was converted into aplyronine A (1) by Yamaguchi lactonization followed by the introduction of two amino acids. The use of the [(3,4-dimethoxybenzyl)oxy]methyl group as a protecting group for the hydroxyl at C29 was crucial for this synthesis. The enantioselective synthesis of two natural congeners, aplyronines B (2) acid C (3), was also carried out using the intermediates for the synthesis of 1, which determined the absolute stereostructures of 2 and 3 unambiguously. To study the structure-cytotoxicity relationships of aplyronines, artificial analogues of 1 were synthesized and their cytotoxicities were evaluated: the trimethylserine moiety, two hydroxyl groups, and the side-chain portion in 1 turned out to be important in the potent cytotoxicity shown by 1. Biological studies with aplyronine A (1) showed that 1 inhibited polymerization of G-actin to F-actin and depolymerized F-actin to G-actin.