Synthesis of intervenolin, an antitumor natural quinolone with unusual substituents.

Synthesis of intervenolin, a natural quinolone discovered by screening for selective growth inhibitors of cancer cells cocultured with stromal cells over monocultured cells, was achieved. The synthesis utilized a thiocyanate-isothiocyanate rearrangement and Suzuki-Miyaura coupling to furnish the characteristic substituents, the iminodithiocarbonate moiety, and the geranyl side chain, respectively. In vivo studies showed that intervenolin inhibited tumor tissue growth in model mice.