Synthesis of macrosphelides with a thiazole side chain: new antitumor candidates having apoptosis-inducing property.

Hybrid compounds of macrosphelides and epothilones, both of which are natural macrolides having a 16-membered skeleton, were designed and synthesized using a ring-closing metathesis (RCM) strategy. Some of these hybrids were found to exhibit notable apoptosis-inducing activity against human lymphoma cells with higher potency than parent natural macrosphelides, and to be a promising lead compound for development of a new antitumor agent.