Sulphur in the Strategy of Natural Products Synthesis

Abstract

Syntheses of secondary metabolites of α-and β-mercapto aminoacids are described. The strategy in the first class of compounds consists of using N-hydroxy-α-amino acid derivatives as intermediates and of converting them into α-functionalized, in particular thiol-substituted amino acids; as examples serve syntheses in the gliotoxin and sporidesmin series. In the second class of compounds the cycloaddition products of indole derivatives, having sulfide substituents, and nitroso olefins are transformed into indole alkaloids, in particular tryptathionins, by rearrangement and further reactions. The antitumor agent sparsomycin has been synthesized via an amino sultine and its stereospecific nucleophilic ring opening. Bioassays done with this compound and sixteen of its structural analogs gave insight in the structural features that are required for sparsomycin's antitumor activity.