Polycyclic Terpenoids Research Articles

A General Entry to Ganoderma Meroterpenoids: Synthesis of Applanatumol E, H, and I, Lingzhilactone B, Meroapplanin B, and Lingzhiol.

Ganoderma meroterpenoids are fungal derived hybrid natural product class containing a 1,2,4-trisubstituted benzene ring and a polycyclic terpenoid part. The representatives applanatumol E, H and I, lingzhilactone B, and meroapplanin B share the same bicyclic lactone moiety connected to the arene. Employing photo-Fries rearrangements as the key step enabled a general entry to these natural products. For the synthesis of the tetracyclic framework of lingzhiol, we made use of a powerful photoredox oxidative decarboxylation/Friedel-Crafts sequence.

Production of cholesterol-like molecules impacts Escherichia coli robustness, production capacity, and vesicle trafficking

The economic viability of bioprocesses is constrained by the limited range of operating conditions that can be tolerated by the cell factory. Engineering of the microbial cell membrane is one strategy that can increase robustness and thus alter this range. In this work, we targeted cellular components that contribute to maintenance of appropriate membrane function, such as: flotillin-like proteins, membrane structural proteins, and membrane lipids. Specifically, we exploited the promiscuity of squalene hopene cyclase (SHC) to produce polycyclic terpenoids with properties analogous to cholesterol. Strains producing these cholesterol-like molecules were visualized by AFM and height features were observed. Production of these cholesterol-like molecules was associated with increased tolerance towards a diversity of chemicals, particularly alcohols, and membrane trafficking processes such as lipid droplet accumulation and production of extracellular vesicles. This engineering approach improved the production titers for wax-esters and ethanol by 80- and 10-fold, respectively. Expression of SHC resulted in the production of steroids. Strains engineered to also express truncated squalene synthase (tERG9) produced diplopterol and generally did not perform as well. Increased expression of several membrane-associated proteins, such as YqiK, was observed to impact vesicle trafficking and further improve tolerance relative to SHC alone, but did not improve bio-production. Deletion of YbbJ increased lipid droplet accumulation as well as production of intracellular wax esters. This work serves as a proof of concept for engineering strategies targeting membrane physiology and trafficking to expand the production capacity of microbial cell factories.

Total syntheses of strained polycyclic terpenes.

Terpenoids constitute a broad class of natural compounds with tremendous variability in structure and bioactivity, which resulted in a strong interest of the chemical community to this class of natural products over the last 150 years. The presence of strained small rings renders the terpenoid targets interesting for chemical synthesis, due to limited number of available methods and stability issues. In this feature article, a number of recent examples of total syntheses of terpenoids with complex carbon frameworks featuring small rings are discussed. Specific emphasis is given to the new developments in strategical and tactical approaches to construction of such systems.

New Methods and Strategies in the Synthesis of Terpenoid Natural Products.

Indoloterpenoids of the paxilline type belong to a large family of secondary metabolites that exhibit unique molecular architectures and a diverse set of biological activities. More than 100 congeners identified to date share a common structural motif that contains an indole moiety fused to a rearranged diterpenoid fragment. The representative physiological and cellular effects attributed to this family of natural products include neurological and insecticidal activities, modulation of lipid balance, and inhibition of mitosis. The uniting polycyclic motif combined with the diversity of individual structural features of paxilline indoloterpenoids and the broad scope of their biological activities have fascinated organic chemists for the past four decades and have led to the development of numerous syntheses. In this Account, we describe our contributions to this field and how they in turn shape new directions that are developing in our laboratory.We begin with the discussion of our strategy for the synthesis of the shared indoloterpenoid core. To address stereochemical challenges encountered in earlier reports, we planned to leverage a suitably substituted cyclopentanone in a polycyclization to form the desired trans-decalin motif. This polycyclization relied on a radical-polar crossover cascade initiated by hydrogen atom transfer. The original process exhibited poor diastereoselectivity, but we discovered an efficient solution to this problem that took advantage of intramolecular tethering effects, culminating in short synthesis of emindole SB. During these studies, we also identified indium-mediated alkenylation of silyl enol ethers with alkynes as a suitable method for the synthesis of highly substituted β,γ-unsaturated ketones that was critical to achieving brevity of our route. We subsequently developed a catalytic version of this transformation that allowed for a formal bimolecular ene reaction that exhibited unusual and potentially useful selectivity in construction of quaternary centers.To test the scope and limitations of our approach to paxilline indoloterpenoids and identify potential improvements, we developed a synthesis of the more complex congener nodulisporic acid C. The convergent assembly of this natural product was enabled by identification of new elements of stereocontrol in the radical-polar crossover polycyclization en route to the polycyclic terpenoid motif and development of a highly diastereoselective enyne cycloisomerization to access the indenopyran motif and a ketone arylation protocol to unite the two complex fragments.In subsequent studies, we expanded the radical-polar crossover cascade underlying our approach to paxilline indoloterpenoids to a bimolecular setting, which allowed for annulation of two unsaturated carbonyl components to produce functionalized cyclohexanes. This transformation is particularly well suited for installation of fully substituted carbons and can be complementary to the venerable Diels-Alder reaction. The utility of the new annulation was tested in the synthesis of forskolin, allowing for rapid construction of the complex polycyclic motif in this densely functionalized labdane diterpenoid.Over the past five years, our initial forays into the synthesis of paxilline indoloterpenoids have grown into a program that incorporates development of new synthetic methods and pursues artificial assembly of terpenoid natural products from several different families. We are encouraged by the increasing diversity of structural motifs made accessible by application of this chemistry and continue to discover new aspects of the underlying reactivity.

Stereocontrolled Radical Bicyclizations of Oxygenated Precursors Enable Short Syntheses of Oxidized Abietane Diterpenoids.

The power of cation-initiated cyclizations of polyenes for the synthesis of polycyclic terpenoids cannot be overstated. However, a major limitation is the intolerance of many relevant reaction conditions toward the inclusion in the substrate of polar functionality, particularly in unprotected form. Radical polycyclizations are important alternatives to bioinspired cationic variants, in part owing to the range of possible initiation strategies, and in part for the functional group tolerance of radical reactions. In this article, we demonstrate that Co-catalyzed MHAT-initiated radical bicyclizations are not only tolerant of oxidation at virtually every position in the substrate, oftentimes in unprotected form, but these functional groups can also contribute to high levels of stereochemical control in these complexity-generating transformations. Specifically, we show the effects of protected or unprotected hydroxy groups at six different positions and their impact on stereoselectivity. Further, we show how multiply oxidized substrates perform in these reactions, and finally, we document the utility of these reactions in the synthesis of three aromatic abietane diterpenoids.

Non-targeted screening workflows for gas chromatography\u2013high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis and identification of biomagnifying contaminants in biota samples

The health of key species in the Baltic region has been impaired by exposure to anthropogenic hazardous substances (AHSs), which accumulate in organisms and are transferred through food chains. There is, thus, a need for comprehensive characterization of the occurrence and accumulation of AHSs in the ecosystem. In this study, we use a non-target screening (NTS) approach for this purpose. A major challenge in NTS of biological samples is the removal of matrix components such as lipids that may interfere with the detection and identification of compounds of interest. Here, we combine gel permeation chromatography with Florisil® column fractionation to achieve sufficient lipid removal for gas chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis using electron ionization (EI) and electron capture negative ion chemical ionization (ECNI). In addition, we present new data processing workflows designed to systematically find and identify frequently occurring and biomagnifying AHSs, including known, emerging, and new contaminants. Using these workflows, we discovered a wide range of contaminants in tissue samples from blue mussels, fish, and marine mammals, and calculated their biomagnification factors (BMFs). Compounds with BMFs above 1 for herring and at least one marine mammal included legacy chlorinated pollutants (polychlorinated biphenyls, DDTs, chloro-benzenes/cyclohexanes, chlordanes, toxaphenes, dieldrin), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and brominated biphenyls. However, there were also several halogenated natural products (halogenated methoxylated brominated diphenyl ethers, 1′-methyl-1,2′-bipyrroles, 1,1′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyrroles, and the halogenated monoterpene mixed halogenated compound 1) as well as the novel flame retardant Dechlorane 602 and several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, terpenoids, and steroids. The legacy pollutants exhibited the expected biomagnification behavior, demonstrating the utility of the unguided data processing workflow.Graphical abstract

Compound specific sulfur isotopes of saline lacustrine oils from the Dongpu Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, NE China

Lacustrine oils from type I-II kerogen from the Dongpu Depression of Bohai Bay Basin have been characterised by compound specific sulfur isotope and hydrocarbon biomarker analyses. The sample suite included sixteen saline lacustrine oils from the northern part of the Dongpu Depression, most of which (i.e., all but two interbedded samples) could be separated into four tectonically aligned oil families (OF1-4) on the basis of differences in their hydrocarbon composition (e.g. high MW n-alkanes, isoprenoids, polycyclic terpenoids). The other two oils studied were freshwater lacustrine oils from the south of the Dongpu Depression, the hydrocarbon composition of which indicated a fifth oil family (OF5). The δ34S values of organic sulfur compounds (δ34SOSCs) in the oils showed several general differences consistent with the five hydrocarbon biomarker defined oil families, including the relative magnitude of their δ34S values: Ave δ34SOSCs values: OF1 = 19‰ (relatively depleted δ34S); OF2 = 28‰ (enriched δ34S); OF3 = 24‰ (intermediate δ34S); OF4 = 25‰ (intermediate δ34S); and OF5 = 18‰ (depleted δ34S); and the respective δ34SOSCs profiles of the oils, e.g., the intermediate δ34S values of the LT oils (OF3) showed little variance with alkylation (<4‰), whereas the intermediate δ34S values of the higher maturity Wenliu oils (OF4) showed 34S enriched alkylated DBTs compared to base DBT (Δδ34SalkylDBT-DBT = +7‰). This demonstrates the potential of δ34SOSCs data assisting the genetic correlation of S-rich saline lacustrine oils. However, separate correlations between some of the δ34SOSCs data and hydrocarbon indicators of paleo-environmental (C35-/C34-hopanes), thermal maturity (C29 sterane and MDBT parameters) and TSR (Δδ34SBTs–DBTs = 6–12‰) impacts suggest each of these factors also influenced the δ34S character of the Dongpu oils. Therefore, δ34SOSCs data should be used cautiously in correlation of oils from complex petroleum systems and where possible integrated with other complimentary analytical information.

Accessing Polycyclic Terpenoids from Zerumbone via Lewis Acid Catalyzed Synthetic Strategies

We herein disclose an effective strategy for the synthesis of [5.3.0] and [6.3.0] fused polycyclic terpenoids, which are important structural elements of natural products and biologically active compounds. The method comprises of Lewis acid catalyzed interrupted Nazarov cyclization of zerumbone derivatives such as zerumbone epoxide, triazole-appended zerumbone, zerumbal, and zerumbenone with a wide substrate scope with different indoles. Zerumbone epoxide furnished [5.3.0] and [6.3.0] fused structurally diverse sesquiterpenoids and all other zerumbone derivatives furnished the [6.3.0] fused motifs.

Titanium‐promoted Intramolecular Photoenolization/Diels–Alder Reaction to Construct Polycyclic Terpenoids: Formal Synthesis of Mycoleptodiscin A

Summary of main observation and conclusionA titanium‐promoted intramolecular photoenolization/Diels–Alder (PEDA) reaction was developed to construct the core skeleton of aromatic polycyclic terpenoids bearing an all‐carbon quaternary center on the benzylic position. Titanium(IV) isopropoxide [Ti(Oi‐Pr)4] plays a key role during the photo cycloaddition, which may help to accelerate the interaction between dienophile and the stereo‐hindered diene species as well as control the diastereoselectivity. This photolysis provides a new solution for the stereospecific formation core structures of aromatic abietane diterpenoids and sesquiterpenoids, which have multiple functional groups for the further transformations. As a synthetic application, it was successfully used in the synthesis of indolosesquiterpenoid mycoleptodiscin A.

Chemo-enzymatic synthesis of (R)-5-hydroxymethyl-2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclopent-1-en-1-yl trifluoromethylsulfonate, a potential chiral building block for multicyclic terpenoids

The chemo-enzymatic synthesis of (R)-5-hydroxymethyl-2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclopent-1-en-1-yl trifluoromethylsulfonate, a potential chiral building block for polycyclic terpenoids containing a five–membered ring having isopropyl and angular methyl substituents, such as erinacin A and dolatriol, was achieved over 11 steps from ethyl 2-oxocyclopentane-1-carboxylate. The key synthetic precursor for this triflate was ethyl (1S,2R)-2-hydroxycyclopentanecarboxylate (>99% ee), which was prepared by a lipase-catalyzed enantioselective hydrolysis of the corresponding racemic acetate. The antipodal (S)-triflate is expected to be the synthetic intermediate for another group of terpenoids involving hamigeran B and stolonidiol. Enantiomerically pure (1R,2S)-hydroxyester (>99% ee) was prepared in high yield using the asymmetric reduction of the oxoester with commercially available carbonyl reductase, “Chiralscreen® OH”-E001.

Chemistry in pictures

CHEMPICS Chemistry in picturesSelections from cen.chempics.org, where C&EN showcases the beauty of chemistry ShareShare onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail Craig BettenhausenC&EN, 2017, 95 (10), p 16March 6, 2017Cite this:C&EN 95, 10, 16Chemical jungle Ehsan Fereyduni, a graduate student in Alex J. Grenning’s group at the University of Florida, had just wrapped up a long day spent purifying 2-(4-methylcyclohex-1-en-1-yl)-2-(naphthalen-2-ylmethyl)malononitrile, a synthetic intermediate en route to a polycyclic terpenoid. When he left for the day, his product was dissolved in ethyl acetate. Overnight, the solvent evaporated, leaving behind this chemical forest complete with an extensive crystalline root system. Beyond the aesthetic pleasure, a spontaneous crystallization such as this is a welcome sight because it suggests a very pure product.—Craig Bettenhausen Submitted by Ehsan Fereyduni (Credit: Ehsan Fereyduni)Figure1of1Do science, take pictures, win money. Enter our photo contest at cen.chempics.org or e-mail [email protected]

Lighting the way to fluorine placement.

Organic Chemistry Fluorination is a powerful strategy to fine-tune molecular properties in pharmaceutical research, but it is often difficult to place the F atoms exactly where you want them. Pitts et al. report a photochemical reaction applied to polycyclic terpenoid frameworks that reliably fluorinates C–H bonds three or four carbons away from the oxygen in an enone group. The site selectivity in one case distinguished among 65 different aliphatic C–H bonds. The authors postulate a radical mechanism involving H-atom abstraction by the enone in a triplet excited state. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 10.1021/jacs.7b00335 (2017).

Multiple Enone-Directed Reactivity Modes Lead to the Selective Photochemical Fluorination of Polycyclic Terpenoid Derivatives.

In the realm of aliphatic fluorination, the problem of reactivity has been very successfully addressed in recent years. In contrast, the associated problem of selectivity, that is, directing fluorination to specific sites in complex molecules, remains a great, fundamental challenge. In this report, we show that the enone functional group, upon photoexcitation, provides a solution. Based solely on orientation of the oxygen atom, site-selective photochemical fluorination is achieved on steroids and bioactive polycycles with up to 65 different sp3 C-H bonds. We have also found that γ-, β-, homoallylic, and allylic fluorination are all possible and predictable through the theoretical modes reported herein. Lastly, we present a preliminary mechanistic hypothesis characterized by intramolecular hydrogen atom transfer, radical fluorination, and ultimate restoration of the enone. In all, these results provide a leap forward in the design of selective fluorination of complex substrates that should be relevant to drug discovery, where fluorine plays a prominent role.

Assembly of Terpenoid Cores by a Simple, Tunable Strategy.

Oxygenated, polycyclic terpenoid natural products have important biological activities. Although total synthesis of such terpenes is widely studied, synthetic strategies that allow for controlled placement of oxygen atoms and other functionality remains a challenge. Herein, we present a simple, scalable, and tunable synthetic strategy to assemble terpenoid-like polycycloalkanes from cycloalkanones, malononitrile, and allylic electrophiles, abundantly available reagent classes.

Assembly of Terpenoid Cores by a Simple, Tunable Strategy

AbstractOxygenated, polycyclic terpenoid natural products have important biological activities. Although total synthesis of such terpenes is widely studied, synthetic strategies that allow for controlled placement of oxygen atoms and other functionality remains a challenge. Herein, we present a simple, scalable, and tunable synthetic strategy to assemble terpenoid‐like polycycloalkanes from cycloalkanones, malononitrile, and allylic electrophiles, abundantly available reagent classes.

Convergent Assembly of the Tetracyclic Meroterpenoid (-)-Cyclosmenospongine by a Non-Biomimetic Polyene Cyclization.

The cationic cyclization of polyenes constitutes a powerful and elegant transformation, which has been utilized by nature's biosynthetic machinery for the construction of complex polycyclic terpenoids. Previous studies by chemists to mimic this cyclization in the laboratory were limited to different modes of activation using biosynthetic-like precursors, which accommodate only simple methyl-derived substituents. Here we describe the development of an unprecedented and highly efficient polyene cyclization of an aryl enol ether containing substrate. The cyclization was shown to proceed in a stepwise manner to generate three rings and three consecutive stereocenters, two of which are tetrasubstituted, in a single flask. The developed transformation is of great synthetic value and has enabled the convergent assembly of the tetracyclic meroterpenoid (-)-cyclosmenospongine.

Convergent Assembly of the Tetracyclic Meroterpenoid (−)‐Cyclosmenospongine by a Non‐Biomimetic Polyene Cyclization

AbstractThe cationic cyclization of polyenes constitutes a powerful and elegant transformation, which has been utilized by nature's biosynthetic machinery for the construction of complex polycyclic terpenoids. Previous studies by chemists to mimic this cyclization in the laboratory were limited to different modes of activation using biosynthetic‐like precursors, which accommodate only simple methyl‐derived substituents. Here we describe the development of an unprecedented and highly efficient polyene cyclization of an aryl enol ether containing substrate. The cyclization was shown to proceed in a stepwise manner to generate three rings and three consecutive stereocenters, two of which are tetrasubstituted, in a single flask. The developed transformation is of great synthetic value and has enabled the convergent assembly of the tetracyclic meroterpenoid (−)‐cyclosmenospongine.

ChemInform Abstract: Tetraphenylphosphonium Tetrafluoroborate/1,1,1,3,3,3‐Hexafluoroisopropanol (Ph4PBF4/HFIP) Effecting Epoxide‐Initiated Cation—Olefin Polycyclizations.

AbstractMetal‐ and catalyst‐free di‐, tri‐ and tetracyclization reactions with a broad functional group tolerance providing polycyclic terpenoids are described.

Combining the Power of TiIII‐Mediated Processes for Easy Access to Hydroxylated Polycyclic Terpenoids: Synthesis of Sesterstatin 1 and C–D Rings of Aspergilloxide

A straightforward access to polyhydroxylated terpenoids based on two key titanocene(III)-mediated reactions is presented: the "head-to-tail" Barbier-type addition of prenyl chlorides to α,β-unsaturated aldehydes, which allows the introduction of hydroxy groups at desirable positions of the acyclic precursor, and the subsequent bioinspired radical cyclisation. This methodology has been also used in the first total synthesis of pentacyclic sesterstatin 1 and a model compound of the C-D rings of aspergilloxide.

Terminating Platinum‐Initiated Cation‐Olefin Reactions with Simple Alkenes

Abstract : The en masse cyclization of polyolefins into polycyclic terpenoids by cyclase enzymes (e.g. squalene to hopene), is a biosynthetic reaction of particular fascination to chemists. Noteworthy recent additions to synthetic mimics of the cyclase enzymes are asymmetric methods that include Br nsted Lewis acids (BLA), masked equivalents of Br+ and I+, organocatalysts, and electrophilic metal catalysts. With the exception of HgII reagents, few electrophilic metal catalysts cyclize polyenes with bio-like alkene terminators. The development of methods whose catalysts can initiate, cyclize, and terminate polyenes under ligand control would significantly advance the state of the art.