Necine alkaloids

The dipolar cycloaddition of nitronates has been applied to the synthesis of several natural products in the context of the tandem [4+2] / [3 + 2] nitroalkene cycloaddition process. All of these syntheses have focused on the construction of pyrrolidine, pyrrolizidine, and indolizidine alkaloids. For example, the synthesis of ( )-hastanecine (316), a necine alkaloid, involves the elaboration of a p-benzoy-loxynitroalkene 311 via [4 + 2] cycloaddition with a chiral vinyl ether (312) in the presence of a titanium based Lewis acid, to provide the nitronate 313 with high diastereo- and facial selectivity (Scheme 2.30) (69). The dipolar cycloaddition of... 

The Necic Acids. There appears to be much more variety among the necic acids than among the necines, possibly because so little is known about them. Most of them are described briefly under their appropriate alkaloids, but there are at least four which need more detailed description. 

On the evidence available there is no reason to doubt that the necyl-necines or parent alkaloids of this group are constituted normally, in which case (VI p. 613) probably represents a typical retronecine ester. 

Ill spite of their importance, basicity constants rarely figure in descriptions of alkaloids. Figures for a series of alkaloids and related substances were published by Kolthoff in 1925 and have been extensively used. Recently a few more have been added by Schoorl, and Adams and Mahan have provided figures for the whole group of necines, the amino-alcohols resulting from the hydrolysis of the pyrrolizidine group of alkaloids. ... 

The strategy based on tandem cycloaddition leads to a short and efficient asymmetric synthesis of the pyrrolizidine necine base (-)-hastanecine, as shown in Scheme 8.32.163 Pyrrolizidine alkaloids have a long history for attracting the interest of synthetic chemists because of their physiological properties. The method of Denmark shown in this scheme is very simple and applied to synthesis of various alkaloids. The Lewis acid-promoted [4+2] cycloaddition between 2-acyloxy nitroalkene and chiral vinyl ether gives a nitronate that... 

Scheme 11.14 The synthesis of building block 44 in the total synthesis of (+)-heliotridine, a necine base present in a large diversity of pyrrolizidine alkaloids [69], a)78 22 mixture of diastereomers.

Highly efficient and stereoselective addition of tertiary amines to electron-deficient alkenes is used by Pete et al. for the synthesis of necine bases [26,27], The photoinduced electron transfer of tertiary amines like Af-methylpyrrolidine to aromatic ketone sensitizers yield regiospecifically only one of the possible radical species which then adds diastereospecifically to (5I )-5-menthyloxy-2-(5//)-furanone as an electron-poor alkene. For the synthesis of pyrrazolidine alkaloids in approximately 30% overall yield, the group uses a second PET step for the oxidative demethylation of the pyrrolidine. The resulting secondary amine react spontaneously to the lactam by intramolecular aminolysis of the lactone (Scheme 20) [26,27]. 

Cbz-4-hydroxy-L-proline was used in the preparation of 72 (the Geissman-Waiss lactone), which is a synthon for necines (82H23). This compound was prepared in eight steps (62JOC139). The alkaloids retronecine, platy-necine, and croalbinecine were prepared from the lactone (83H1331). 

We have extended our work on a new synthesis of the antiprotozoal antibiotic anisomycin to the necine bases of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids, in particular retronecine and crotanecine. The key intermediate, (2R,3S,4R)-2-(alkoxy-carbonylmethyl)-3,4—isopropylidenedioxypyrrolidine, has been prepared by three distinct routes from D-ribose and g-erythrose, using reactions of high stereoselectivity. 

The Lewis acid-promoted tandem inter[4 + 2]/intra[3 + 2]-cycloaddition of the (fumaroyloxy)nitroalkene (124) with the chiral /i-silylvinyl ether (125) is the key step in the total synthesis of (+)-crotanecine (126), the necine base of a number of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (Scheme 46).237 The tandem inter[4 + 2]/intra[3 + 2]-cycload-ditions of nitroalkenes (127) with dipolarophiles attached to the /f-carbon of a vinyl ether (128) provides a method of asymmetric synthesis of highly functionalized aminocyclopentanes (129) (Scheme 47).238 trans-2-( 1 -Methyl-phenylethyl)cyclohex-anol has been developed as a new auxiliary in tandem 4 + 2/3 + 2-cycloadditions of nitroalkenes.239 The scope and limitations of the bridged mode tandem inter-[4 + 2]/intra[3 + 2]-cycloadditions involving simple penta-1,4-dienes are described in detail.240 A tandem intermolecular/intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition was successfiilly used to synthesize a B/C cA-fused taxane nucleus (130) in 50% overall... 

Tufariello has reviewed his strategy for the synthesis of alkaloids (including necine bases) using the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrones to alkenes.5 This work began with the synthesis of ( )-supinidine (7) from 1-pyrroline 1-oxide (see these Reports, Vol. 2, Ch. 4). A related approach has been used by Iwashita et al. in their synthesis of ( )-isoretronecanol (5).6 The stereochemistry of the exo-product (8), formed by regiospecific 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of 1-pyrroline 1-oxide to dihydrofuran (Scheme 2), was confirmed by its conversion into... 

Arctiid moths are also capable of synthesizing their own PAs from a necine base of plant origin and a necic acid synthesized from isoleucine in their own metabolism. Callimorphine, a PA not produced by plants, is synthesized by many arctiid moths and is sequestered as a defensive compound after re-esterification of retronecine of plant origin. Creatonotine, another insect PA, is produced by adults of C. transiens by esterifying ingested retroncine with a distinctive necic acid. These moths are unique in adding de novo-synthesized PAs to plant-derived alkaloids as part of their defensive arsenal. 

The simple necine bases loline (18), norloline (19), and lolinine (20) have been identified previously from Lolium cuneatum Nevski.7 Further investigations on the seeds of this plant by Russian workers have established the presence of four new alkaloids. N-Formylnorloline (21),8 JV-methyl-loline (22), JV-acetylnorloline (23), and AT-formyl-loline (24)9 have been identified. In addition, a novel dimeric pyrrolizidine alkaloid, lolidine, containing chlorine, was isolated in trace amounts (7 mg from 10 kg of seeds). The structure (25) has been suggested for lolidine on the basis of spectral data.10... 

Figure 9.2. Metabolism of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) in Senecio vernalis. The substrates for alkaloid biosynthesis, putrescine and spermidine, are derived from primary metabolism. Homospermidine, synthesized by homospermidine synthase (HSS), is the first pathway specific intermediate. It is exclusively incorporated into the necine base moiety of senecionine A-oxide, the backbone structure of all PAs found in this Senecio species. During allocation from the roots as site of synthesis to the shoots, it is chemically modified to provide the species specific PA-pattem.

C-7 position will result in ions with the same m/z ratio, one of which wUl be protonated under the ESI conditions. The difference in molecular ion data between peak 4 and peaks 6 and 7 is consistent with an additional hydroxylation relative to sarracine-N-oxide and it is tentatively suggested that this extra hydroxylation is a result of hydration of the 1,2 olefinic center of triangularine-N-oxide to yield 2-hydroxysarracine-N-oxide. In support of this, the abundant presence of an ion at m/z 138 in the ESI-MS/MS spectra of peak 4, and its redox resin reduction product, can be rationalized as the 1,2-hydrated analog of the m/z 120 ion characteristically observed in the ESI-MS spectra of 1,2-dehydropyrrolizidine alkaloids [33]. In contrast to the proposed structure for peak 4, the MS/MS data for the minor, but isobaric, peak 2 clearly indicated the structural difference between the two (Figure 13.16) and suggested the extra hydroxylation of the C-9 esterifying add rather than in the necine base as with peak 4. 

However, it has been shown that more than half the aminobutyl moiety of homospermidine comes directly from spermine, and the aminobutyl moiety of spermine is also incorporated directly into the necine base of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (Graser and Hartmann, 1997). 

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids ( )-trachelanthamidine (240) and ( )-supinidine (244) were synthesized, based on the Michael addition of an aziridine to an a,/J-unsaturated ester and subsequent ring opening of an aziridinium intermediate. Interest in these alkaloids stems from their biological activities. Treatment of ethyl 6-chloro-2-hexenoate (236) with excess aziridine at 0°C gave the pyrrolidine derivative 238 in one step, probably via the aziridinium salt 237 in 73% yield. The intramolecular cyclization of 238 with lithium diisopropylamide in tetrahydrofuran provided the thermodynamically more stable ester 239 as the sole product, (86%), which was then converted to ( )-trachelanthamidine (240) by reduction with lithium aluminum hydride. Since necine bases must contain a 1,2-didehydro system in their molecule to exhibit physiological activity, the following reactions were carried out to introduce a 1,2-didehydro system. Treatment of 238 with 2.4 equiv of lith-... 

The crystal structures of pyrrolizidine alkaloids that have been determined may be divided into structural groups on the basis of the necine they contain. Alkaloids with retronecine (127) as base are fulvine and axillarine, which both have an 11-membered macrocyclic diester ring, and jacobine and swazine, which contain 12-membered diester rings. Heliotrine is a C-9 monoester of heliotridine (109). Retusamine, clivorine, and senkirkine, all include otonecine (125) as the base portion. The alkaloids... 

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