Enantioselective biomimetic total syntheses of kuwanons i and J and brosimones A and B

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/anie.201404499

The first enantioselective total syntheses of prenylflavonoid Diels-Alder natural products (-)-kuwanonI, (+)-kuwanonJ, (-)-brosimoneA, and (-)-brosimoneB have been accomplished from a common intermediate based on a concise synthetic strategy. Key elements of the synthesis include a biosynthesis-inspired asymmetric Diels-Alder cycloaddition mediated by a chiral ligand/boron Lewis acid, as well as a process involving regioselective Schenck ene reaction, reduction, and dehydration to realize a biomimetic dehydrogenation for generation of the required diene precursor. Furthermore, a remarkable tandem inter-/intramolecular asymmetric Diels-Alder cycloaddition process was applied for the synthesis of (-)-brosimoneA. Four in a row: The first enantioselective total syntheses of the prenylflavonoid natural products (-)-kuwanonI, (+)-kuwanonJ, (-)-brosimoneA, and (-)-brosimoneB have been accomplished based on a concise synthetic strategy. Key elements of the synthesis include a biosynthesis-inspired asymmetric Diels-Alder cycloaddition mediated by a chiral ligand/boron Lewis acid, as well as a process involving regioselective Schenck ene reaction, reduction, and dehydration.

Full text of DOI:10.1002/anie.201404499

Angewandte
Chemie
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201404499
Natural Products
Enantioselective Biomimetic Total Syntheses of Kuwanons I and J and
Brosimones A and B**
Jianguang Han, Xia Li, Yong Guan, Wenjun Zhao, William D. Wulff,* and Xiaoguang Lei*
Abstract: The first enantioselective total syntheses of prenyl-
flavonoid Diels–Alder natural products (À)-kuwanon I,
(+)-kuwanon J, (À)-brosimone A, and (À)-brosimone B
have been accomplished from a common intermediate based
on a concise synthetic strategy. Key elements of the synthesis
include a biosynthesis-inspired asymmetric Diels–Alder cyclo-
addition mediated by a chiral ligand/boron Lewis acid, as well
as a process involving regioselective Schenck ene reaction,
reduction, and dehydration to realize a biomimetic dehydro-
genation for generation of the required diene precursor.
noid Diels–Alder natural products have been isolated and
characterized from various Moraceous plants, which have
been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).[3]
Some representative examples are shown in Figure 1: kuwa-
Furthermore,
a remarkable tandem inter-/intramolecular
asymmetric Diels–Alder cycloaddition process was applied
for the synthesis of (À)-brosimone A.
T
he Diels–Alder reaction is likely one of the most powerful
reactions for the construction of complex polycyclic struc-
tures. Even though only one well-characterized Diels–Alder-
ase has been reported,[1] a large number of natural products
biosynthesized through Diels–Alder cycloadditions have
been frequently reported in the literature.[2] Since the initial
studies by Nomura and co-workers in the 1980s, approx-
imately 40 different kinds of structurally unique prenylflavo-
[*] J. Han, X. Li
School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology
Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China)
Y. Guan, W. Zhao, Prof. Dr. W. D. Wulff
Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824 (USA)
Figure 1. Representative Diels–Alder-type natural products from Mora-
ceous plants.
E-mail: wullf@chemistry.msu.edu
Prof. Dr. X. Lei
nons I (1)[4] and J (2),[5] brosimones A (3)[6] and B (4),[7]
kuwanons G (5)[8] and H (6).[9] The prenylflavonoid Diels–
Alder natural products exhibit many promising biological
activities including anticancer, anti-HIV, and anti-inflamma-
tory activities.[10] Structurally, these molecules all possess at
least one 2’-hydroxychalcone moiety as well as polyphenol
structures. Given their striking chemical structures and
biological activities, prenylflavonoid Diels–Alder natural
products have attracted continuing attention from the syn-
thetic community, including the seminal total syntheses by
Porco and co-workers using silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for
the key Diels–Alder cycloadditions,[11] as well as other
synthetic studies.[12] However, because of the significant
synthetic challenges, the enantioselective synthesis of this
family of natural products remains elusive to date. Herein, we
report our recent endeavors which culminated in the first
enantioselective biomimetic total syntheses of (À)-kuwa-
non I, (+)-kuwanon J, (À)-brosimone A, and (À)-brosimo-
ne B.
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory
of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of
Education, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry
and Molecular Engineering, Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules
Center, and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking
University, Beijing 100871 (China)
and
National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing (NIBS)
Changping District, Beijing 102206 (China)
E-mail: xglei@pku.edu.cn
Homepage: http://www.chem.pku.edu.cn/leigroup/
[**] We thank Xiaoyun Zhang and Mingjun Du for their assistance, Prof.
Guangzhong Tu for NMR analysis, Dr. Jiang Zhou (Peking
University) for HRMS analysis, and Ming Xiong (China University of
Geosciences) for X-ray analysis. Financial support from the National
High Technology Projects 973 (2012CB837400), and NNSFC
(21222209, 91313303) is gratefully acknowledged. This work is also
supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences
(GM 094478 to W.W.).
Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW
under http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201404499.
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Scheme 1. Retrosynthetic analysis for kuwanons I and J, and brosimones A and B.
As shown in Scheme 1, kuwanons I and J, and brosimo-
nes A and B were chosen as our initial targets for total
synthesis because we envisioned that the four natural
products could be accessed from the common intermediate
13. We expected that a rearrangement reaction of the
intermediate 13 can occur to afford ortho-prenylated chal-
cone, which is the synthetic precursor for kuwanons I and J,
and para-prenylated chalcone, which is the synthetic precur-
sor for brosimones A and B. A key biosynthesis-inspired
asymmetric Diels–Alder cycloaddition should be involved. In
addition, the prenylated dienophile was considered to be
a direct precursor of the diene. The group of Porco realized
a biomimetic process involving an elegant direct in situ
dehydrogenation with AgNPs.[11d] In this regard, a biomimetic
transformation involving a Schenck ene reaction/reduction
sequence[13] with subsequent dehydration could be used to
afford the diene. The polyphenolic nature of these natural
products required an appropriate protecting-group strategy
which allows the effective late-stage global deprotection.
Indeed, we have extensively evaluated various protecting
groups including Me, MOM, MTM, and Ac, and ultimately,
we chose the acyl group, which could be smoothly removed
under mild basic conditions.
Based on the above analysis, our initial aim was to develop
the required key enantioselective Diels–Alder cycloaddition
on model substrates. An extensive literature search revealed
that the asymmetric Diels–Alder reaction of the 2’-hydrox-
ychalcone derivative as the dienophile is unprecedented. We
examined various possible strategies including metal Lewis
acid catalysis and chiral Brønsted acids. Unfortunately all
these attempts failed. Ultimately, inspired by the elegant
studies of enantioselective Diels–Alder reactions and chlori-
nations on the juglone systems, reported by Kelly et al.[14] and
Snyder et al.,[15] respectively, we set out to examine the
possibility of using a chiral boron complex to promote the
enantioselective Diels–Alder reaction (Table 1). With the
model substrates, the dienophile 14 and diene 15,[16] in hand,
we initially screened (R, R)-TADDOL (L1) and (S)-BINOL
(L2), and to our delight, the chiral boron complex effectively
promoted the Diels–Alder reaction to afford both exo-16 and
endo-17 in high yields. However, the enantioselectivity was
unsatisfactory. We then turned to other chiral ligands such as
(S)-VANOL (L4) and (R)-VAPOL (L3) which have been
used in asymmetric Diels–Alder reactions.[17] To our surprise,
endo-17 was generated in good yield (80%) and with an
excellent ee value (entry 4) when L4 was used, while exo-16
was generated in moderate yield (41%) and ee value (entry 3)
when L3 was used. We also tested a panel of VANOL
derivatives, but did not observe significant improvement.[16]
The chiral ligands could be largely recovered. When we used
the recovered VANOL ligands, we were pleased to find that
the yield and ee value were both retained after one or two
cycles (entries 5 and 6). A control experiment showed that
when the hydroxy group of the dienophile was protected by
Table 1: Chiral boron complex-catalyzed asymmetric Diels–Alder cyclo-
additions.[a]
Entry Ligand[b] T [h] Yield endo-17/exo-16[d] ee [%][e]
[%][c]
(endo-17/exo-16)
1
2
3
4
L1
L2
L3
L4
L4
L4
20
20
23
20
20
20
92
97
98
99
98
99
3.2:1
4.0:1
1.4:1
4.2:1
4.6:1
4.4:1
1/0
48/21
48/72
97/11
97/10
97/11
5[f]
6[g]
[a] Reaction conditions: 15 (5.0 equiv), 14 (1.0 equiv), BH3·THF
(1.2 equiv), AcOH (1.2 equiv), ligand (1.2 equiv). [b] 93–97% of ligand
was recovered. [c] Yield of isolated product. [d] Based on 1H NMR
integration. [e] Determined by HPLC using a chiral stationary phase.
[f] With recycled ligand, one cycle. [g] With recycled ligand, two cycles.
M.S.=molecular sieves, THF=tetrahydrofuran.
2
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Table 2: Schenck ene reactions.[a]
Entry
photosensitizer
Solvent
T [h]
Yield [%][b]
8/21[c]
1[d]
2[d]
3[d]
4[d]
5[d]
6[d]
7[e]
8[e]
TPP
TPP
CH2Cl2
MeOH
CH2Cl2
MeOH
CH2Cl2
MeOH
CH2Cl2
MeOH
3
14
5
6
9
3
9
26
71
67
62
70
62
73
63
62
2.0:1
1.9:1
2.3:1
1.9:1
1.8:1
4.3:1
1.8:1
8.0:1
Methyl blue
Methyl blue
Rose bengal
Rose bengal
[Ru(bpy)3Cl2·6H2O]
[Ru(bpy)3Cl2·6H2O]
[a] See the Supporting Information for experimental details. [b] Yield of
isolated product. [c] Based on 1H NMR integration. [d] 150 W halogen
lamp was used as the light source. [e] 40 W compact fluorescent light
bulb was used as the light source. bpy=2,2’-bipyridine, TPP=meso-
tetraphenylporphyrin.
Scheme 2. a) Prenyl bromide, K2CO3, acetone, reflux, 24 h, 95%;
b) Montmorillonite K-10, CH2Cl2, 08C, 8 h, 19 (37%), 20 (27%) and
recovered 18 (33%); c) 1. conc. HCl, MeOH, RT, 20 h; 2. 4m NaOH,
RT, 2 h; 3. Ac2O, pyridine, CH2Cl2, RT, 12 h, 35% for two steps.
MOM=methoxymethyl.
With the tertiary alcohol 8 in hand, we entered the final
stage of the total synthesis. Dehydration of 8 with SOCl2/
DBU smoothly provided the diene
9 in 75% yield
a methyl group, the Diels–Alder cycloaddition did not
proceed.
(Scheme 3). Although 9 is presumably deactivated by the
electron-withdrawing acetyl groups, using the previously
developed optimal reaction conditions for the [4+2] cyclo-
addition between the dienophile 7 and diene 9 proceeded
smoothly to afford both endo and exo diastereomers in good
yield (72%)[16] in a 1.2:1 ratio, but with moderate ee values
(58% ee for endo-23, 51% ee for exo-22; Table 3, entry 1).
Gratifyingly, by increasing the amount of the chiral ligand to
reduce the background reaction,[20] we could dramatically
improve the enantiomeric excess to 97% for endo-23 and
60% for exo-22 (entry 3). However, the chiral boron VAPOL
complex did not show promising results (entry 4), and was in
We then set out to investigate the total syntheses of
kuwanons I and J. Prenylation of the readily available
chalcone 18[16] under standard reaction conditions[12a]
afforded the prenyl chalcone 13 (Scheme 2), which was
further subjected to a montmorillonite-K-10-promoted sig-
matropic rearrangement[12c] to afford the ortho-prenylated
chalcone 19 (37%), along with the para-prenylated product
20 (27%) which should be a suitable synthetic precursor for
brosimones A and B. The MOM-protected compound 19 was
converted into the required dienophile triacetate 7 in 35%
yield over two steps.
We next turned our attention to the synthesis of the diene
9. Initial attempts using the standard Schenck ene reaction
conditions[13] with subsequent reduction using PPh3 afforded
a mixture of the tertiary allylic alcohol 8 and secondary allylic
alcohol 21 in 71% combined yield with a 2:1 ratio (Table 2,
entry 1). Unfortunately, several attempts for the dehydration
of 21 failed because of the low reactivity. Considering that the
tertiary alcohol is typically a better substrate for dehydration,
we then focused our attention on improving the selectivity for
the tertiary alcohol. By screening commonly used photo-
sensitizers and solvents (entry 2–6), we found 8 was afforded
in 4.3:1 ratio by using Rose bengal as the photosensitizer and
MeOH as the solvent (entry 6). More interestingly, we
observed that a visible-light-mediated[18,19] regioselective
Schenck ene reaction using [Ru(bpy)3Cl2·6H2O] and MeOH
significantly improved the ratio for the tertiary alcohol (8.0:1,
entry 8). To the best of our knowledge, this step leading to 8
represents the first [Ru(bpy)3Cl2·6H2O]-mediated regioselec-
tive Schenck ene reaction.
Scheme 3. a) SOCl2, DBU, CH2Cl2, À788C to RT, 12 h, 75%; b) Ligand,
BH3·THF, AcOH, 5 ꢀ M.S., THF, RT, 72 h; c) K2CO3, MeOH/H2O
(10:1), RT, 1 h, 70%. DBU=1,8-diazabicyclo[5-4-0]undec-7-ene.
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Table 3: Screening reaction conditions for the reaction between 9 and 7
(see structures in Scheme 3).
Entry Ligand[a]
(equiv)
Yield [%][b] endo-23/exo-22 ee [%][c]
(endo-23/exo-22)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
L4 (1.2)
L4 (2.5)
(R)-VANOL (2.5) 80
(S)-VAPOL (2.5) 19
L5 (2.5)
L6 (2.5)
L7 (2.5)
L8 (2.5)
L9 (2.5)
L10 (2.5)
72
76
1.2:1
1.1:1
1.1:1
1.1:2
1.3:1
1.3:1
1.1:1
1.8:1
1:1.2
1.9:1
58/51
97/57
97/60
40/25
7/22
86/36
85/39
83/28
86/84
96/74
26
70
51
52
54
67
10
[a] 87–92% of ligand was recovered. [b] Yield of isolated product.
[c] Determined by HPLC using a chiral stationary phase.
Scheme 4. a) 1. 3m HCl, MeOH, resorcinol, 808C, 23 min; 2. 4m
NaOH, RT, 2 h; 3. Ac2O, pyridine, CH2Cl2, RT, 12 h, 33% for two steps;
b) 1. hv, O2, TPP, MeOH, RT, 10 h; 2. PPh3, CH2Cl2, RT, 16 h, 48%;
c) SOCl2, DBU, THF, À788C to RT, 9 h, 68%; d) (S)-VANOL, BH3·THF,
AcOH, 5 ꢀ M.S., THF, RT, 72 h, 71% (25:24=1.2:1), 93% ee for exo-
24, 98% ee for endo-25, recovered (S)-VANOL (90%); e) K2CO3,
MeOH/H2O (10:1), RT, 1 h, 70%.
ligand to afford both endo-25 and exo-24 in 71% yield with
a 1.2:1 ratio, and remarkably, with excellent ee values for both
(98% ee for endo-25, 93% ee for exo-24). The structure of
endo-25 was confirmed by extensive two-dimensional NMR
analysis.[16] Final deprotection of the acetyl groups of exo-24
afforded (À)-brosimone B in 70% yield. The spectroscopic
data for synthetic 4 were in agreement with those reported for
the natural product.[7]
contrast to the previous model study. In terms of both
reactivity and enantioselectivity, (S)-VANOL displayed
better results than (S)-VAPOL. To further improve the
enantioselectivity of the exo-product, we decided to evaluate
a number of new VANOL derivatives containing various
substituents at different positions of the naphthalene core of
VANOL (entry 5–10).[21] To our delight, the ee value of the
exo product was significantly improved from 60% to 84%
when (S)-8,8’-dimethyl-VANOL (L9) was used (entry 9).
Finally, global deprotection of exo-22 and endo-23 under
a mild basic conditions efficiently furnished the desired
natural products kuwanons I (1) and J (2), both in 70% yield
(Scheme3). The spectroscopic data for synthetic 1 and 2 were
in agreement with those reported for the natural product.[16]
We next turned our attention to the syntheses of
brosimones A and B. Initially, MOM groups were converted
into acyl groups to afford 10 in 33% yield over two steps
(Scheme 4). Unfortunately, when applying the previously
developed optimal reaction conditions (Ru(bpy)3Cl2·6H2O,
MeOH) to the ortho-prenylated chalcone, we did not observe
good regioselectivity for the Schenck ene reduction. In this
case, after screening different photosensitizers and solvents
again, we found that the tertiary allylic alcohol 11 and
secondary allylic alcohol were afforded in 3.2:1 ratio with
63% combined yield (48% yield for 11) by using TPP as
photosensitizer and MeOH as solvent. The diene 12 then
prepared, by dehydration of 11, in 68% yield.
Encouraged by the aforementioned results, we ultimately
sought to explore the synthesis of (À)-brosimone A, which is
a homodimer of 12.
However, conceivably, several synthetic challenges
remained to be addressed. First, on the basis of molecular
modeling studies, the core of (À)-brosimone A is [3.3]meta-
cyclophane which exists with significant ring strain imparted
by the 12-membered ring system. Second, it might be difficult
to achieve the intramolecular Diels–Alder reaction catalyzed
by the boron VANOL complex because of the steric
hindrance. Third, when the boron VANOL complex is
added in one portion, it might be problematic because while
it might activiate the dienophile, the diene could be deacti-
vated simultaneously. Not surprisingly, very few reports
regarding this type of one-pot inter-/intramolecular Diels–
Alder cycloaddition cascade have been reported to date.[22] To
our delight, when slightly excess chiral boron complex was
used, a one-pot inter-/intramolecular Diels–Alder cycloaddi-
tion cascade was smoothly achieved to afford the three
expected products including endo,endo-26 in 28% yield with
98% ee, exo,endo-27 in 20% yield, and exo,exo-28 in 13%
yield with 95% ee (Scheme 5). After removing the Ac groups
of 26 followed by methylation, endo,endo-30 was obtained in
56% yield over two steps. The structure of endo,endo-30 was
unambiguously confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis.
However, it was challenging for us to measure the ee value of
exo,endo-27 because of the equilibrium mixture of conforma-
tional isomers. Removal of the acetyl groups of exo,endo-27
With the para-prenylated dienophile 10 and diene 12 in
hand, we set out to investigate the key asymmetric Diels–
Alder reaction for the synthesis of (À)-brosimone B
(Scheme 4). As a result, (S)-VANOL proved to be the best
4
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Keywords: boron · cyclization · natural products ·
.
synthetic methods · total synthesis
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Scheme 5. a) (S)-VANOL, BH3·THF, AcOH, 5 ꢀ M.S., THF, RT, 96 h,
61% (26/27/28=28%:20%:13%), 98% ee for endo,endo-26, 95% ee
for exo,exo-28, recovered (S)-VANOL (91%); b) K2CO3, MeOH/H2O
(10:1), RT, 1.5 h, 75%; c) Me2SO4, K2CO3, acetone, reflux, 16 h, 74%,
d) K2CO3, MeOH/H2O (10:1), RT, 1 h, 75%; e) MeI, K2CO3, acetone,
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and subsequent methylation afforded 32 in 47% yield over
two steps. The NMR data for synthetic 32 were fully matched
with the compound obtained by permethylation of the
exo,endo hexamethyl ether which had been previously
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afforded the desired natural product (À)-brosimone A in
70% yield. The spectroscopic data for synthetic 3 were in
agreement with those reported for the natural product.[6]
In summary, we have accomplished the first enantiose-
lective total syntheses of (À)-kuwanon I, (+)-kuwanon J, (À)-
brosimone A, and (À)-brosimone B in seven steps from the
common precursor 13 based on a biosynthesis-inspired
approach. The synthesis features a novel asymmetric Diels–
[16] For details see the Supporting Information.
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[20] We obtained the Diels–Alder cycloadducts exo-22 and endo-23
in 12% yield when only BH3·THF and AcOH were used without
the addition of chiral ligand.
[21] Y. Guan, Z. Ding, W. D. Wulff, Chem. Eur. J. 2013, 19, 15565.
[22] For selected references on one-pot inter-/intramolecular Diels–
Alder reactions, see: a) W. R. Roush, R. J. Sciotti, J. Am. Chem.
Soc. 1998, 120, 7411; b) C. C. Yuan, B. Du, L. Yang, B. Liu, J. Am.
Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 9291.
Alder cycloaddition of
a 2’-hydroxychalcone derivative
promoted by a chiral boron VANOL complex, and an
unprecedented [Ru(bpy)3Cl2·6H2O]-mediated regioselective
Schenck ene reaction, as well as a novel tandem inter-/
intramolecular asymmetric Diels–Alder cycloaddition pro-
cess to construct six stereogenic centers in a single operation.
The chiral VANOL ligand as well as its derivative have
proven to be remarkably efficient in controlling the enantio-
selectivities for both endo- and exo-selective Diels–Alder
cycloadducts. The chemistry developed should pave the way
for the enantioselective synthesis of other related complex
Diels–Alder natural products, which will be disclosed in due
course.
[23] CCDC 991774 (30) contains the supplementary crystallographic
data for this paper. These data can be obtained free of charge
from The Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre via www.
ccdc.cam.ac.uk/data_request/cif.
Received: April 20, 2014
Revised: June 8, 2014
Published online: && &&, &&&&
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 1 – 6
ꢀ 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
www.angewandte.org
5
These are not the final page numbers!

.
Angewandte
Communications
Communications
Natural Products
J. Han, X. Li, Y. Guan, W. Zhao,
W. D. Wulff,* X. Lei*
&&&& — &&&&
Enantioselective Biomimetic Total
Syntheses of Kuwanons I and J and
Brosimones A and B
Four in a row: The first enantioselective
total syntheses of the prenylflavonoid
natural products (À)-kuwanon I,
include a biosynthesis-inspired asym-
metric Diels–Alder cycloaddition medi-
ated by a chiral ligand/boron Lewis acid,
as well as a process involving regiose-
lective Schenck ene reaction, reduction,
and dehydration.
(+)-kuwanon J, (À)-brosimone A, and
(À)-brosimone B have been accom-
plished based on a concise synthetic
strategy. Key elements of the synthesis
6
www.angewandte.org
ꢀ 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 1 – 6
These are not the final page numbers!