Catalytic asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-lactacystin

J Org Chem. 2006 Feb 3;71(3):1220-5. doi: 10.1021/jo0524223.

Abstract

Total synthesis of (+)-lactacystin, a potent and selective proteasome inhibitor, was accomplished using a catalytic enantioselective Strecker reaction of a ketoimine as the initial key step. An enone-derived N-phosphinoyl ketoimine 7 was selected as a stable masked alpha-hydroxy ketoimine analogue. Excellent enantioselectivity (98% ee) and practical catalyst activity were produced under the optimized catalyst preparation method using 2.5 mol % Gd{N(SiMe3)2}3 as a metal source and 3.8 mol % D-glucose-derived ligand 8. This reaction was conducted on a 5 g scale. The chiral tetrasubstituted C-5 carbon efficiently controlled the stereochemistry of the other three chiral centers of lactacystin. Chelation-controlled Meerwein-type reduction of ketone 5 using i-PrMgBr (originally reported by Kang in a related substrate) selectively produced the desired secondary alcohol at the C-9 position. The C-6 hydroxy and C-7 methyl groups were introduced via a silyl conjugate addition followed by the Tamao oxidation and Donohoe methylation, respectively, in a highly stereoselective manner. A practical amount of enantiomerically pure clasto-lactacystin beta-lactone (2), the biologically active form of (+)-lactacystin, can be synthesized using this route. clasto-Lactacystin beta-lactone (2) was converted to (+)-lactacystin following the reported procedure.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acetylcysteine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Acetylcysteine / chemical synthesis
  • Acetylcysteine / chemistry
  • Catalysis
  • Imines / chemistry
  • Lactones / chemistry
  • Molecular Structure
  • Stereoisomerism

Substances

  • Imines
  • Lactones
  • lactacystin
  • Acetylcysteine