Total synthesis, stereochemical assignment, and antimalarial activity of gallinamide A.

The total synthesis and stereochemical assignment of gallinamide A, an antimalarial depsipeptide of cyanobacterial origin, is described. Synthesis of the four possible N-terminal diastereoisomers of gallinamide A (including the natural product symplostatin 4) was achieved using a divergent strategy from a common imide fragment. The natural product and corresponding diastereoisomers were synthesized in 30-33% overall yield in a longest linear sequence of 8 steps. Comparative NMR spectroscopic studies of the four synthetic diastereoisomers with the isolated natural product demonstrated that gallinamide A possesses a dimethylated L-isoleucyl residue at the N-terminus. As such, we have shown that gallinamide A is structurally and stereochemically identical to symplostatin 4. Gallinamide A and its N-terminal diastereoisomers were also shown to possess significant antimalarial activity with IC(50) values in the nanomolar range against the 3D7 strain of Plasmodium falciparum.