Macrolide stability

The prevalence of diols in synthetic planning and in natural sources (e.g., in carbohydrates, macrolides, and nucleosides) has led to the development of a number of protective groups of varying stability to a substantial array of reagents. Dioxolanes and dioxanes are the most common protective groups for diols. The ease of formation follows the order H0CH2C(CHc,)2CH20H > H0(CH2)20H > H0(CH2)30H. 

Erythromycins are macrolide antibiotics produced by bacterial fermentation. Fluoiination of erythromycin has been studied as a strategy to insure better stability in acidic medium and/or to achieve better bioavailability. An erythromycin, fluorinated at C-8, flurithromycin, was launched several years ago. Its preparation involves an electrophilic fluorination, with CF3OF [119] or with an N-F reagent A/-fluorobenzenesulfonimide (NFSI) [120], of the 8,9-anhydroerythromy-cin-6,9-hemiacetal or of the erythronolide A (Fig. 44). 

Epothilones are naturally occurring cytotoxic macrolides, which were initially isolated from a mycobacterium. Their antitumor activity is similar to that of the clinically established taxoids (Taxol, Taxotere), by interrupting the dynamic mechanism of microtubule assembly/disassembly via microtubule stabilization. In contrast to taxoids, epothilones are remarkably efficient against multidrug resistant cells. 

Erythromycins are macrolide antibiotics produced by bacterial fermentation. Fluori-nation of erythromycin has been studied to ensure abetter stability in acidic medium and/or a better bioavailability. 

Nakagawa, Y., Itai, S., Yoshida, T., and Nagai,T. (1992), Physicochemical properties and stability in the acidic solution of a new macrolide antibiotic, clarithromycin, In comparison with erythromycin, Chem. Pharm. Bull., 40,725-728. 

The glycoside/aminoglycoside antibiotics, like the macrolides, exert a bacteriostatic effect due to selective inhibition of bacterial protein synthesis, with the exception of novobiocin (26). The compounds neomycin (27), spectinomycin (28) and streptomycin (29) bind selectively to the smaller bacterial 30S ribosomal subunit, whilst lincomycin (30) binds to the larger 50S ribosomal subunit (cf. macrolides). Apramycin (31) has ribosomal binding properties, but the exact site is uncertain (B-81MI10802). Novobiocin (26) can inhibit nucleic acid synthesis, and also complexes magnesium ion, which is essential for cell wall stability. 

The first chapter focuses on the total synthesis of macrolide-based microtubules stabilizing agents and on SAR data thereof, which have not been covered in other... 

As indicated in Scheme VII/32, cyclononanone (VII/165) is transformed into hydroperoxide hemiacetal, VII/167, which is isolated as a mixture of stereoisomers. The addition of Fe(II)S04 to a solution of VII/167 in methanol saturated with Cu(OAc)2 gave ( )-recifeiolide (VII/171) in quantitative yield. No isomeric olefins were detected. In the first step of the proposed mechanism, an electron from Fe2+ is transferred to the peroxide to form the oxy radical VII/168. The central C,C-bond is weakened by antiperiplanar overlap with the lone pair on the ether oxygen. Cleavage of this bond leads to the secondary carbon radical VII/169, which yields, by an oxidative coupling with Cu(OAc)2, the alkyl copper intermediate VII/170. If we assume that the alkyl copper intermediate, VII/170, exists (a) as a (Z)-ester, stabilized by n (ether O) —> <7 (C=0) overlap (anomeric effect), and (b) is internally coordinated by the ester to form a pseudo-six-membered ring, then only one of the four -hydrogens is available for a syn-//-elimination. [111]. This reaction principle has been used in other macrolide syntheses, too [112] [113]. 

Acetals and hemiacetals imbedded in 5- and 6-membered rings are remarkably stable and their deliberate conversion to the acyclic carbonyl derivatives can be a problem. The high thermodynamic and acid stability of the corresponding 5,5-acetals can be used to liberate a carbonyl by using a 2-stage transprotection protocol. During a synthesis of the macrolide antibiotic Erythronolide B, Martin... 

The additional presence of a 3-methoxy substituent on the benzyl group confers greater stability on the intermediate cation, and consequently oxidation of DMPM ethers by DDQ is even more facile. Yonemitsu and cowoikers have used this differential reactivity of substituted benzyl ethers to great effect in the total synthesis of the macrolide antibiotics methynolide, tylonolide, (95)-9-dihydroerythro-nolide and pikronolide. The pikronolide synthesis provides an excellent example of the selective, sequential deprotection of DMPM, MPM and benzyl ether protecting groups (Scheme 7). 

Several complex antibiotics are prepared by whole-cell fermentations. Examples are the pencillin antibiotics in which the side chain can be removed and replaced with a synthetic one to enhance activity or stability. Other examples include the macrolide antiobiotics, such as avermectin (56) and erythromycin (57), in which the organism uses an enzyme cassette to build up the seco-chain before cyclization. 

Several 16-membered macrolides form metabolites which retain antimicrobial activity. As discussed above, 3"-esters such as rokitamycin and miokamycin produce prolonged concentrations of antibiotic in vivo due to the facile 3"- to 4"-0-acyl migration that follows enzymatic removal of the original 4 -ester [34, 269, 270], Following a different approach to overcome the lability of 4"-esters, specific 4"-0-acyl derivatives of tylosin were selected from the series of esters (15) based upon their greater stability toward liver enzymes [80], Although esterases play the most prominent role in metabolism of 16-membered macrolides, other mechanisms such as oxidative hydroxylation, A-demethylation, reduction, and hydrolysis of sugars have been reported for various compounds [91, 96, 115, 259, 270-272]. 

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