Vinblastine synthesis

Table 4.32 Summary of reaction metrics and synthesis tree parameters for vinblastine synthesis plans ranked according to overall kernel (maximum) RME. ...

The influences of herbicides on cell division fall into two classes, ie, dismption of the mitotic sequence and inhibition of mitotic entry from interphase (G, S, G2). If ceU-cycle analyses indicate increases in abnormal mitotic figures, combined with decreases in one or more of the normal mitotic stages, the effect is upon mitosis. Mitotic effects usually involve the microtubules of the spindle apparatus in the form of spindle depolymerization, blocked tubulin synthesis, or inhibited microtubule polymerization (163). Alkaloids such as colchicine [64-86-8J,viahla.stiae [865-21-4] and vincristine [57-22-7] dismpt microtubule function (164). Colchicine prevents microtubule formation and promotes disassembly of those already present. Vinblastine and vincristine also bind to free tubulin molecules, precipitating crystalline tubulin in the cytoplasm. The capacities of these dmgs to interfere with mitotic spindles, blocking cell division, makes them useful in cancer treatment. 

In a versatile stereocontrolled total synthesis of (+)-vinblastine, Fukuyama used a base-promoted macrocyclization of the N-nosylate and the terminal epoxide moiety present in 88 as one of the key steps, giving the 11-membered-ring product 89 in 82% yield (Scheme 8.23) [42],... 

The two alkaloids vinblastine and vincristine found in Catharanthus roseus have been recent targets of total synthesis because of their potency in cancer chemotherapy. The reduced tree diagram for the Fukuyama plan to vincristine is shown in Figure 4.66. There are three points of convergence, four branches leading to the target product and four tiers of reaction yields. 

Tables 4.32 and 4.33 summarize the metrics for the synthesis plans for both products. The Fukuyama plans to both targets are very similar differing only in the very late stages of each plan. The Kuehne plan to vinblastine is considerably shorter than the Fukuyama one since it uses (—) -vindoline as an available starting material in stage 11. This explains why its overall kernel RME is 17 times larger than that of the Fukuyama plan. For a more fair comparison, if the upper two branches leading to (—)-vindoline are omitted from the Fukuyama plan, the number of stages remain the same at 27 but the number of reactions and inputs decreases to 29 and 47, respectively. These changes result in an increase in overall kernel RME from 0.3% to 0.5% but it is still an order of magnitude less than that determined for the Kuehne...

Yokoshima, S., Ueda, T., Kobayashi, S. et al. (2002) StereocontroUed Total Synthesis of (-Pi-Vinblastine. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 124,2137-2139. 

A total synthesis of (+ )-vinblastine widely used in cancer chemotherapy, has been reported. It includes the synthesis of (-)-vindoline. 1,3-Dipolar cycloaddition of a nitrile oxide has played an important role in the preparation of the indoloazacycloundecane moiety, whose coupling with (-)-vindoline occurs with the desired stereochemistry, leading to an intermediate readily transformed to the target (+ )-vinblastine (492). 

Salutaridinol 7-0-acetyltransferase catalyzes the conversion of the phenanthrene alkaloid salutaridinol to salutaridinol-7-Oacetate, the immediate precursor of thebaine along the morphine biosynthetic pathway in P. somniferum (Fig. 10.7).26 Acetyl CoA-dependent acetyltransferases have an important role in plant alkaloid metabolism. They are involved in the synthesis of monoterpenoid indole alkaloids in medicinal plant species such as Rauwolfia serpentina. In this plant, the enzyme vinorine synthase transfers an acetyl group from acetyl CoA to 16-epi-vellosimine to form vinorine. This acetyl transfer is accompanied by a concomitant skeletal rearrangement from the sarpagan- to the ajmalan-type (reviewed in2). An acetyl CoA-dependent acetyltransferase also participates in vindoline biosynthesis in Catharanthus roseus, the source of the chemotherapeutic dimeric indole alkaloid vinblastine (reviewed in2). Acetyl CoA deacetylvindoline 4-O-acetyltransferase catalyzes the last step in vindoline biosynthesis. A cDNA encoding acetyl CoA deacetylvindoline 4-0-acetyltransferase was recently successfully isolated.27... 

Cabot, M. C., Giulano, A. E., Han, T-Y., and Liu, Y-Y., 1999, SDZ PSC 833, the cyclosporin A analog and multidrug resistance modulator, activates ceramide synthesis and increases vinblastine sensitivity in drug-sensitive and drag-resistant cancer cells. Cancer Res. 59 880-885. 

The absolute configuration of the stereo centers of vinblastine (1) was determined from the X-ray crystal structure of vincristine (2) methiodide (79,80) in view of the known relationship between 1 and 2. The absolute stereochemistry at C-I8 in vinblastine (1) and related derivatives can also be deduced by means of ORD and CD spectroscopy (81,82). The determination was made possible by the synthesis and structure elucidation of several compounds possessing the unnatural configuration at C-18 (82,84). Because this stereo center controls the relative geometry of the... 

Additionally, there had, for many years, been a vast synthetic effort underway aimed at the synthesis of the two monomeric units, where it was anticipated that the two units could be joined to form the vinblastine-type bisindole alkaloids. Coincidentally, as it transpired, 20 years of effort in the areas of synthesis and biosynthesis converged, at almost the same time, on the compound 3, 4 -anhydrovinblastine (8). 

The first reported preparation of a binary alkaloid of the vinblastine type came from the efforts of J. Harley-Mason and Atta-ur-Rahman 15,16). In accord with a proposal for the synthesis of vinblastine-type alkaloids (77), their synthetic strategy was based on a coupling reaction previously developed by G. Biichi et al. for the synthesis of Voacanga alkaloids (75), as shown in Scheme 1. There, acid-catalyzed ionization... 

A more promising approach to a synthesis of vinblastine-type compounds can be derived from the significant observation that reaction of one enantiomer of the carboline ester (-l- )-38 with p-nitrobenzyl chloro-formate and 3-methoxy-A/, A-dimethylaniline, at 25°C, gave a model (-t-)-congener of 39 in 72% yield and 55% enantiomeric excess, thus indicating a conformational retention in the nine-membered cationic intermediate formed on acylation of the carboline ester 38 (37b). 

The real breakthrough toward synthesis of vinblastine and, in fact, the first significant laboratory preparation of binary indole-indoline alkaloids with the natural C-16 -C14 PARF configuration, was due to the work of the Potier-Langlois team at Gif (38,39 for reviews, see Refs. 40 and 41), buttressed by results obtained by the Kutney group in Vancouver (42,43,44), and the efforts of Atta-ur-Rahman and associates in Karachi. Their basic idea, which relied on the biogenetic consideration that binary indole-indoline alkaloids are formed in plants by the union of vindoline... 

For an enantioselective synthesis of vinblastine (1) [or of leurosidine (56) and vincovaline (184, Scheme 49)], chirality at C-20 was introduced at the outset through Sharpless (131) oxidations of 2-ethylpropenol (185). Subsequent elaboration to the substituted five-carbon aldehydes 186... 

The structural modification of natural products is useful in several ways. The known pharmacology of bisindole alkaloids is enriched by the diversity of chemical structures that are made available by structure modification and total synthesis. These molecules have served as biochemical probes in several areas of biology, especially in those of microtubule assembly and drug resistance. The most elusive prize, however, has remained the discovery of new compounds with clinical activity. In recent years several compounds have been evaluated in clinical trials, but vinblastine and vincristine remain the only bisindole alkaloids approved for the treatment of cancer in the United States. These compounds are joined by vindesine in Europe, and at least two new derivatives are the subject of ongoing clinical trials. Considering the breadth of chemical research in this area, the overall yield as measured by new compounds with clinical activity has been relatively low, but this observation is not unique in history of analog development in cancer research. Nevertheless, the search continues, and this chapter details the chemical endeavors to discover a new bisindole alkaloid with clinical activity. 

With the exception of the effect on microtubules described in the foregoing paragraph, the bisindole alkaloids have little or no effect on macro-molecular synthesis at subtoxic concentrations (21,22). In experiments utilizing radiolabeled precursors ([ H]leucine, -uridine, or -thymidine) cells cultured in the presence of vinblastine showed no differential incorporation of radioactivity. Furthermore, there is no indication that treatment of cells with vinblastine or vincristine produces alterations in cellular DNA (23,24). 

Leurosine (3) represents a useful entry for the synthesis of compounds in which the stereochemistry at C-4 is inverted (43,44). The reactivity patterns exemplified by vinblastine (1) are also present in the chemistry... 

Vinblastine and vincristine are alkaloids isolated from plants of the periwinkle family (Vinca rosea). These compounds cause cells to stop at metaphase and inhibit assembly of microtubules, and likewise, failure of mitotic spindle formations. They inhibit synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins. 

Vinblastine suppresses cell growth during metaphase, affects amino acid metabolism, in particular at the level of including glutamine acid into the citric acid cycle and preventing it from transformation into urea, and it also inhibits protein and nucleic acid synthesis. 

Vincamine, vinblastine and vincristine are very important clinic alkaloids. They are produced naturally by plants vincamine by Vinca minor, and vinblascine and vincristine by Madagascar periwinkle Catharanthus roseus). The vindoline synthesis pathway starts with strictosidine and, via dehydrogeissoschizine, preakuammicine, stemmadenine and tabersonine, is converted to vindoline and vincristine (Figure 42). Conversion from vindoline to vinblastine is based on the NADH enzyme activity. Vinblastine and vincristine are very similar alkaloids. The difference is that vincristine has CHO connected to N, whereas vinblastine in the same situation has only CO3. This synthetic structural differences influence their activity. Vinblastine is used to treat Hodgkin s disease (a form of lymphoid cancer), while vincristine is used clinically in the treatment of children s leukaemia. Vincristine is more neurotoxic than vinblastine. 

Alkaloids such as vinblastine and vincristine are known to bind to the microtubules of the spindle apparatus. They are active agents that influence DNA synthesis and amino acid metabolism. They are also known to reduce mitosis at metaphase. Vinblastine and vincristine also have some immunosuppressive activity. There are many applications of these alkaloids. They have been used in the treatment of Hodgkin s disease, cancers and blood disorders. Vincristine is a basis for the development of clinic agents used to treat cerebral and pulmonary disorders. Vinblastine and vincristine are well-known anficancer agents. 

Fig. 9. The cell cycle. M mitosis G1+S+G2 interphase, i.e., the period between ceU division. During G1 (G for gap) the cellular genome is in the diploid state. This is followed by the S-phase (S for synthesis) during which the DNA is replicated, and finally G2. Insert Cell-cycle analysis of HM02 cells cultured with and without vinblastine. CeU-cycle distribution was determined by staining DNA with propidium iodide, and the number of cells in different phases of the cell cycle was measured with a FACStar flow cytometer. Vinblastine, which disrupts the formation of microtubules, causes cell-cycle arrest in the G2/M-phase...

Vinca dimer indole alkaloids (e.g., vinblastine) act as spindle poison. They bind tubulin, inhibiting polymerization into microtubules, major elements of the cytoske-Vinblastine itself and its analogue vinorelbine (Navelbine ) are marketed for cancer therapies (Figure 4.48). Because of the obvious difficulty in synthesizing such highly complex structures, there were no reports on the preparation of fluorinated derivatives until the remarkable work of Jacquesy s group on the synthesis in super-acidic media. 5 ... 

Two interesting approaches for the stereospecific oxidation of the enamine bond of Az-piperideine have been reported in connection with studies on the synthesis of vinblastine derivatives (Scheme 14) (79JA2243). 

Vinblastine has an effect on cell energy production required for mitosis and interferes with nucleic acid synthesis. Reversal of antitumour effect by glutamic acid or tryptophan has occurred. 

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