ChemInform Abstract: Mammalian Alkaloids: Synthesis and O-Methylation of (S)- and (R)-3′- Hydroxycoclaurine and Their N-Methylated Analogues with S-Adenosyl-L-( methyl-14C)methionine in Presence of Mammalian Catechol O- Methyltransferase.

Abstract

O-Methylation of the optically active 3′-hydroxycoclaurines 3a and 3b and of the N-methylated analogs 5a,b with S-adenosyl-L-[methyl-14C]methionine in presence of mammalian COMT was investigated in vitro. The N-unsubstituted (1S)- and (1R )-isomers 3a and 3b, respectively, afforded almost equal amounts of the corresponding N-norreticuline 4 and N-nororientaline 19, besides two unknown by-products (see Fig. and Table 1). The N-methylated (1S)-isoquinoline 5a, on the other hand, afforded largely (S)-orientaline ((S)-19), while an almost equal mixture of (R)-reticuline (6b) and (R)-orientaline ((R)-19) was obtained from the (1R)-enantiomer 5b. The isoquinolines 3a,b and 5a,b were prepared by a Bischler-Napieralski cyclization yielding O-benzyl-protected isoquinoline 10 (Scheme 1). The optical resolution of 10 was accomplished with 2′-bromotartranilic acid. The N-methylated isoquinolines were prepared by N-formylation of 10a,b and reduction of the formamides 13a,b with diborane ( 14a,b). Deblocking of the benzyl-ether moieties of 10a,b and 14a,b was accomplished by catalytic hydrogenation in presence of HCl, affording directly 3a,b·HCl and 5a,b·HCl, respectively.