Podophyllotoxin

One of the most important discoveries made by the natural product chemist Kupchan was the unusual lignan-derived podophyllotoxin, which has clinical applications as a powerful and selective antineoplastic. The problem of synthesising it asymmetrically is solved elegantly using the chiral oxazoline auxiliary (see section 5.4.1). 

The starting material for this synthesis is the highly substituted achiral naphthalene (34), whose preparation is not given here. The ester group of (34) reacts with the chiral amino alcohol (35) derived from threonine to give the oxazoline (36), which reacts with aryllithium (37) diastereoselectively, affording dihydronaphthalene (38) as a 92 8 mixture of diastereomers. The alkoxy group on the auxiliary is presumed to deliver the nucleophile by chelation to the metal as shown opposite. 

Removal of the auxiliary and the allyl group gives lactone (39). On hydrolysis the double bond migrates back into conjugation with the ring, affording (40) after silylation and esterification. The double 

---

Several groups of drugs that bind to tubulin at different sites interfere with its polymerization into microtubules. These drugs are of experimental and clinical importance (Bershadsky and Vasiliev, 1988). For example, colchicine, an alkaloid derived from the meadow saffron plant Colchicum autumnale or Colchicum speciosum), is the oldest and most widely studied of these drugs. It forms a molecular complex with tubulin in the cytosol pool and prevents its polymerization into microtubules. Other substances such as colcemid, podophyllotoxin, and noco-dazole bind to the tubulin molecule at the same site as colchicine and produce a similar effect, albeit with some kinetic differences. Mature ciliary microtubules are resistant to colchicine, whereas those of the mitotic spindle are very sensitive. Colchicine and colcemid block cell division in metaphase and are widely used in cytogenetic studies of cultured cells to enhance the yield of metaphase plate chromosomes. 

Podophyllotoxin, a plant lignan, is a potent antimitotic agent (Figure 6.61). An enantioselective synthesis of (—)-podophyllotoxin was achieved via the enzymatic desymmetrization of an advanced meso-diacetate, through PPL-mediated diester hydrolysis [157]. 

Prednisolone 21 -trimethylacetate pivaloyloxymethyl 6-aminopenicillanate tosylate (CjiHjoNjOgSj 25031-03-2) see Pivmecillinam podophyllotoxin... 

Both inter- and intra- molecular Diels-Alder reactions of 2-benzopyran-3-ones occur with high endo-selectivity and have been used to synthesise (-)-podophyllotoxin (14) and 4a-substituted cis-BC fused hexahydrophenenthrenes (15), respectively <96JCS(P1)151, 96JCS(P1)705>. 

The GASPE spectrum of podophyllotoxin is shown. The signals at 8 56.0,108.6, and 152.0 each represent two carbons in identical magnetic environments, while the signal at 8 147.6 also represents two carbons that accidentally appear at the same chemical shift. Assign chemical shift values to various protonated and quaternary carbons in the structure. 

The basic INEPT spectrum cannot be recorded with broad-band proton decoupling, since the components of multiplets have antiphase disposition. With an appropriate increase in delay time, the antiphase components of the multiplets appear in phase. In the refocussed INEPT experiment, a suitable refocusing delay is therefore introduced that allows the C spin multiplet components to get back into phase. The pulse sequences and the resulting spectra of podophyllotoxin (Problem 2.21) from the two experiments are given below ... 

The COSY-45 spectrum of podophyllotoxin and its H-NMR data are shown. Assign and interpret the H/ H cross-peaks in the COSY spectrum. 

The HOHAHA spectrum (100 ms) of podophyllotoxin is presented. The HOHAHA, or TOCSY (total correlation spectroscopy), spectrum (100 ms) shows coupling interactions of all protons within a spin network, irrespective of whether they are directly coupled to one another or not. As in COSY spectra, peaks on the diagonal are ignored as they arise due to magnetization that is not modulated by coupling interactions. Podophyllotoxin has only one large spin system, extending from the C-1 proton to the C4 and 015 protons. Identify all homonuclear correlations of protons within this spin system based on the crosspeaks in the spectrum. 

The HMBC spectrum of podophyllotoxin is shown. The cross-peaks in the HMBC spectrum represent long-range heteronuclear H/ C interactions within the same substructure or between different substructures. Interpretation should start with a readily assignable carbon (or proton), and then you identify the proton/s (or carbon/s) with which it has coupling interactions. Then proceed from these protons, and look for the carbon two, three, or, occasionally, four bonds away. One-bond heteronuclear interactions may also appear in HMBC spectrum. 

Twelve cross-peaks (A-L) are visible in the HETCOR spectrum of podophyllotoxin, representing 13 protonated carbons in the molecule. 

The HMQC spectrum of podophyllotoxin shows heteronuclear crosspeaks for all 13 protonated carbons. Each cross-peak represents a one-bond correlation between the C nucleus and the attached proton. It also allows us to identify the pairs of geminally coupled protons, since both protons display cross-peaks with the same carbon. For instance, peaks A and B represent the one-bond correlations between protons at 8 4.10 and 4.50 with the carbon at 8 71.0 and thus represent a methylene group (C-15). Cross-peak D is due to the heteronuclear correlation between the C-4 proton at 8 4.70 and the carbon at 8 72.0, assignable to the oxygen-bearing benzylic C-4. Heteronuclear shift correlations between the aromatic protons and carbons are easily distinguishable as cross-peaks J-L, while I represents C/H interactions between the methylenedioxy protons (8 5.90) and the carbon at 8 101.5. The C-NMR and H-NMR chemical shift assignments based on the HMQC cross-peaks are summarized on the structure. 

The ROESY spectrum of podophyllotoxin exhibits a number of crosspeaks (A-D) representing interactions between dipolarly coupled (space coupling) hydrogens, which can be helpful to determine the stereochemistry at different asymmetric centers. For example, based on the assumption that the C-1 proton (8 4.53) is /3-oriented, we can trace out the stereochemistry of other asymmetric centers. Cross-peak B represents dipolar coupling between the C-1 proton (8 4.53) and the C-2 proton (8 2.8), thereby confirming that the C-2 proton is also... 

Etoposide (XV) is a semisynthetic gylcoside derivative of podophyllotoxin, which is one of the most extensively used anticancer drugs in the treatment of various types of tumors [64,65]. The anticancer activity of this drug is mainly due to its ability to inhibit an ubiquitous and essential enzyme human DNA topo II [66,67]. Despite its extensive use in the treatment of cancers, it has several limitations, such as poor water solubility, drug resistance, metabolic inactivation, myelosuppression, and toxicity [68]. In order to overcome these... 

Podophyllotoxin enolate tetrahydropyranyl ether Glinski, M. B. et al., J. Org. Chem., 1987, 53, 2749-2753 Attempted preparation of 2-fluoropodophyllotoxin by treatment of the tetrahydropyranyl ether with perchloryl fluoride led to a violent explosion. 

---