Efforts To Access the Potent Antitrypanosomal Marine Natural Product Janadolide: Synthesis of Des-tert-butyl Janadolide and Its Biological Evaluation.

To identify novel antitrypanosomal agents based on Janadolide, a potent macrocyclic polyketide-peptide hybrid, a macrolactonization strategy was explored. We prepared des-tert-butyl Janadolide and evaluated its antitrypanosomal activity. Our findings suggest that the tert-butyl group is necessary for the desired bioactivity.

Introduction

Parasitic infectious diseases such as trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis are a threat to human and animal health, mainly in tropical and subtropical regions. Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), a neglected infectious disease, is caused by protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei. The current treatment for trypanosomiasis includes suramin and pentamidine in the first phase, whereas melarsoprol, nifurtimox, and eflornithine are used in the second phase of the disease.[1] However, none of them is ideal, as they often cause unwanted side effects and require lengthy treatment periods. Moreover, the effectiveness of these drugs is compromised because of emergence of drug resistance. Thus, there is a need for the development of new chemotherapeutic agents to tackle this disease. In search of compounds with unique structures, the Suenaga group isolated a very potent antitrypanosomal natural product called Janadolide 1 from Okeania sp., which is a marine cyanobacterium.[2] It is a 23-membered macrocyclic depsipetide and a rare polyketide–peptide hybrid containing a tert-butyl group. A very few related polyketide–peptide natural products, virginiamycin, surfactin, and streptogramins, were isolated and characterized from the nature.[3] The absolute structure of 1 was determined with the help of various spectral methods supported by degradation and chemical modifications.[2] As part of our broader research activity on macrocyclic natural products,[4] we became interested in the Janadolide scaffold, to access the natural product and its analogues as possible antiparasitic lead(s).

Results and Discussion

The planned strategy to access the Janadolide natural product is described in Scheme . We envisioned the target compound 1 through a macrolactonization strategy[5] from corresponding hydroxyl ester 2 in which all of the desired amino acids and functionalities are in place. Hydroxy ester 2 could be accessed from two key fragments, proline fragment 3 and tetrapeptide 4. Compound 3 was planned from 5 using stereoselective operations, which in turn could be accessed by following documented procedures starting from abundantly available geraniol. Tetrapeptide fragment 4 could be stitched using known amino acid derivatives.

Scheme 1

Retrosynthetic Analysis of Janadolide

Our synthesis commenced with the preparation of fragment 4, Boc-l-val 6 was coupled with H2N-gly-OMe using EDC and HOBt in dichloromethane to afford dipeptide 7 in 84% yield.[6] Methyl ester in 6 was hydrolyzed using lithium hydroxide and coupled with Me-NH-l-ala-OMe using 1-[bis(dimethylamino)methylene]-1H-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-b]pyridinium 3-oxid hexafluorophosphate (HATU) to give tripeptide 8 in 68% yield. One more peptide coupling with Me-NH-l-leu-OMe gave tetrapeptide 4, which on Boc deprotection resulted in desired compound 9 (Scheme ).

Scheme 2

Synthesis of Tetrapeptide Fragment 4

For accessing proline fragment 3, known compound 10 was prepared from geraniol in three steps.[7] Aldehyde 10 was subjected to the MOM-Wittig reaction to give enol ether, which on treatment with the Jones reagent underwent two steps to furnish carboxylic acid 5 in excellent yield. Essentially, the reaction was completed in less than 20 min at 0 °C. Evan’s chiral auxiliary coupling followed by stereoselective installation of the methyl group resulted in compound 12 in 88% yield over two steps.[8] Auxiliary hydrolysis and coupling of H2N-l-pro-OMe was carried out using HATU and N,N-diisopropylethylamine (DIPEA) in dimethylformamide (DMF) to furnish key component 13 (Scheme ). It is the key intermediate with the desired methyl stereochemistry and olefin geometry to be used for total synthesis of Janadolide and its analogues.

Scheme 3

Synthesis of Compound 13

Thus, compound 13 was reacted with 2.2 equiv of 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) in a 5:1 mixture of dichloromethane and phosphate buffer (pH = 7) at 0 °C to obtain aldehyde 14, in which deprotection-allylic oxidation took place in one-pot operation (Scheme ). Aldehyde 14 was treated with tert-butylmagnesium chloride to furnish proline fragment 3 in 62% yield. At this stage, both the diastereomers were inseparable by silica gel column chromatography. We therefore decided to go forward with the mixture, expecting that the separation of diastereomers would become possible at a later stage. The methyl ester in compound 3 was hydrolyzed to acid, followed by coupling of the resulting acid with tetrapeptide 9, gave hydroxyl ester 2 in 78% yield over two steps. Again, methyl ester hydrolysis in compound 2 gave seco-acid, which is ready for macrolactonization. Unfortunately, the seco-acid did not form the required macrocycle under a variety of conditions such as Shiina,[9] Yamaguchi,[10] or Mitsunobu[11] lactonizations (even temperature and solvent variations did not help).

Scheme 4

Synthesis of Des tert-Butyl Janadolide

At this point, we assumed that the failure of cyclization could be because of the bulky tert-butyl group, which is adjacent to the macrocyclization point. For this purpose, compound 13 was carefully treated with 1.1 equiv of DDQ in CH2Cl2 and phosphate buffer to get allylic alcohol 15 in 76% yield. Addition of DDQ was done in one portion to avoid the oxidation of allylic alcohol to aldehyde. Compound 15 on hydrolysis followed by coupling with tetrapeptide 9 provided the required cyclization precursor. Seco-acid was prepared by hydrolysis of 16, which under Shiina lactonization conditions using 2-methyl-6-nitrobenzoic anhydride (MNBA), 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP), and DIPEA in refluxing CH2Cl2 furnished macrocyclic des-tert-butyl Janadolide 17 in 34% isolated yield. The desired macrocycle formation was indicated by deshielding of the hydroxyl-attached methylene proton from δ 4.14 to 4.57 ppm (due to macrocyclic lactone). In addition, N-methyl signals are separated by ∼0.2 ppm, as observed by product NMR analysis, whereas they are together in the case of the acyclic precursor. This kind of separation is also seen in the natural macrocycle, suggesting the desired product formation. The authenticity of the product was further confirmed by 13C NMR and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). It is worth mentioning that no detectable epimerization took place as we have observed only single set of signals in the final compound NMR (1H and 13C). All of the spectral details are available in the Supporting Information. Thus, we have accomplished the synthesis of a close analogue of natural Janadolide 17, a 23-membered macrocycle, with all of the desired functionalities (except the tert-butyl group) in place.

Having synthesized the Janadolide analogue for the first time, we became interested in evaluating its potential antiparasitic activity. Because our Janadolide analogue lacks the tert-butyl group, it allowed us to test the role of this group in the antitrypanosomal activity. Bioactivity assays were carried out as previously reported[12] to monitor parasite viability in the presence of the Janadolide analogue and estimate the IC50 value for parasite killing. Assay details are given in the Supporting Information. Suenaga et al. had reported very potent antitrypanosomal activity of Janadolide (IC50 47 nM) against T. brucei GUT at 3.1 strain.[2] Here, we have tested the Janadolide analogue against the T. brucei 427 strain. Interestingly, our Janadolide analogue exhibited only a moderate killing activity (IC50 = 3.96 μM), in comparison to that of pentamidine and oligomycin, for which we obtained IC50 values of 1 and 74 nM, respectively (Table ). The weaker activity could be attributed to the absence of 1,3 strain in the newly synthesized molecule.

Table 1

Antitrypanosomal Activity

compound	IC50	standard deviation
pentamidine	0.9 nM	±0.39 nM
oligomycin	74.3 nM	±3.8 nM
compound 17	3.96 μM	±0.46 μM

Conclusions

Briefly, we have explored the macrolactonization strategy to construct a 23-membered cycle toward total synthesis of natural product Janadolide. However, our attempts on cyclization in the vicinity of the tert-butyl group were unsuccessful. We also demonstrated that the tert-butyl group is vital for potent antitrypanosomal activity. Total synthesis of this natural product and its analogues by alternate strategies, followed by structure–activity relationship studies, will be the subject of future work.

General Information

All reactions were carried out in oven-dried glassware under a positive pressure of argon or nitrogen, unless otherwise mentioned, with magnetic stirring. Air-sensitive reagents and solutions were transferred via a syringe or cannula and were introduced to the apparatus via rubber septa. All reagents, starting materials, and solvents were obtained from commercial suppliers and used as such without further purification. Reactions were monitored by thin layer chromatography (TLC) with 0.25 mm precoated silica gel plates (60 F254). The TLC spots were visualized under a UV lamp or using staining solutions such as phosphomolybdic acid, para-anisaldehyde, 2,4-DNP solution, KMnO4 solution, ninhydrin solution, or Iodine adsorbed on silica gel, followed by heating with a heat gun for ∼15 s. Column chromatography was performed on silica gel (100–200 or 230–400 mesh size). Deuterated solvents for NMR spectroscopic analyses were used as received. All 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra were obtained using a 200, 400, or 500 MHz spectrometer. Coupling constants were measured in hertz. All chemical shifts were quoted in ppm, relative to CDCl3 and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), using the residual solvent peak as a reference standard. The following abbreviations were used to explain the multiplicities: s = singlet, d = doublet, t = triplet, q = quartet, m = multiplet, br = broad. HRMS (ESI) were recorded on an ORBITRAP mass analyzer (Thermo Scientific, Q Exactive). Mass spectra were recorded with ESI ionization in an MSQ LCMS mass spectrometer. Infrared (IR) spectra were recorded on a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer as a thin film. Chemical nomenclature was generated using Chem Bio Draw Ultra 14.0. Melting points of solids were measured in a Buchi B-540 melting point apparatus. Optical rotation values were recorded on a Jasco P-2000 polarimeter at 589 nm.

Experimental Procedures

Methyl N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-l-valylglycyl-N-methyl-l-alaninate (8)

To a stirred solution of compound 7 (2.00 g, 6.944 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (THF, 10 mL), LiOH (0.583 g, 13.888 mmol) in H2O (10 mL) was added at 0 °C. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 3 h. The solvent was removed under vacuo, and reaction mixture was then cooled to 0 °C and acidified with 2 N HCl solution. Then, the reaction mixture was extracted with EtOAc (2 × 50 mL), washed with brine (30 mL), dried over Na2SO4, and evaporated in vacuo. Carboxylic acid was taken in DMF, and HATU (3.16 g, 8.333 mmol) was added at 0 °C. Then, TFA·HN-Me-l-ala-OMe (1.48 g, 6.944 mmol) and DIPEA (3.0 mL, 17.361 mmol) were added to it. The resulting solution was stirred at room temperature for 12 h. The reaction was then diluted with EtOAc (100 mL) and H2O (30 mL) and extracted with EtOAc (2 × 60 mL). The combined organic layers were washed with saturated NaHCO3 solution (40 mL), 1 N HCl (40 mL), and brine (30 mL); dried over Na2SO4; and evaporated in vacuo. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (1:1 EtOAc/PE, R = 0.3 in 50% EA/PE) to afford 8 as a white solid (1.76 g, 68% yield): mp = 110–112 °C; [α]D23 = −31.8 (c = 0.35, CHCl3); IR υmax (film): cm–1 3020, 2967, 1740, 1656, 1216; 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ 6.92 (brs, 1H), 5.19 (q, J = 7.3 Hz, 1H), 5.08–5.06 (m, 1H), 4.13–4.00 (m, 3H), 3.71 (m, 3H), 2.92 (s, 3H), 2.20–2.14 (m, 1H), 1.46–1.36 (m, 12H), 0.95 (d, J = 6.7 Hz, 3H), 0.89 (d, J = 6.7 Hz, 3H); 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3): δ 171.7, 171.5, 168.3, 155.7, 79.7, 59.7, 52.4, 52.3, 41.5, 31.0, 30.3, 28.2 (3C), 19.2, 17.4, 14.3; HRMS calculated for C17H32O6N3 [M + H]+: 374.2290, found 374.2290.

Methyl N-(N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-l-valylglycyl-N-methyl-l-alanyl)-N-methyl-l-leucinate (4)

To a stirred solution of compound 8 (2.8 g, 7.50 mmol) in THF (10 mL), LiOH (0.63 g, 15.01 mmol) in H2O (10 mL) was added at 0 °C. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 3 h. After completion of the reaction, the solvent was removed under vacuo and the reaction mixture was cooled to 0 °C and acidified with 2 N HCl solution. Then, the reaction mixture was extracted with EtOAc (2 × 50 mL), washed with brine (30 mL), dried over Na2SO4, and evaporated in vacuo. The crude carboxylic acid was taken in DMF, and HATU (3.13 g, 8.25 mmol) was added at 0 °C. Then TFA·HN-Me-l-leu-OMe (2.11 g, 8.25 mmol) and DIPEA (3.23 mL, 18.75 mmol) were added sequentially. The resulting solution was stirred at room temperature for 12 h. The reaction mixture was then diluted with EtOAc (50 mL) and H2O (30 mL) and extracted with EtOAc (2 × 40 mL). The combined organic layers were washed with saturated NaHCO3 solution (30 mL), 1 N HCl (30 mL), and brine (30 mL); dried over Na2SO4; and evaporated in vacuo. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (1:50 MeOH/CH2Cl2, R = 0.5 in 5% MeOH/CH2Cl2) to afford 4 as a sticky solid as a mixture of rotamers (2.66 g, 71% yield): [α]D24 = −87.9 (c = 1.10, CHCl3); IR υmax (film): cm–1 3408, 3022, 1726, 1648, 1216; 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6): δ 7.92–7.83 (m, 1H), 6.80–6.70 (m, 1H), 5.37–5.29 (m, 1H), 4.97 (dd, J = 4.3, 11.0 Hz, 1H), 3.99 (d, J = 4.9 Hz, 2H), 3.91–3.84 (m, 1H), 3.62 (s, 3H), 2.82–2.71 (m, 6H), 1.99–1.96 (m, 1H), 1.77–1.70 (m, 1H), 1.63–1.56 (m, 1H), 1.38 (s, 9H), 1.13 (d, J = 6.7 Hz, 3H), 0.93–0.81 (m, 13H); 13C NMR (100 MHz, DMSO-d6): δ = 171.6, 171.5, 171.0, 168.0, 155.4, 78.0, 59.6, 56.5, 54.8, 52.0, 49.3, 48.3, 40.6, 40.1, 37.6, 36.8, 31.2, 30.4, 29.0, 28.2 (3C), 24.4, 24.3, 23.2, 22.9, 21.4, 21.0, 19.2, 18.0, 14.5, 14.2; HRMS calculated for C24H44O7N4Na [M + Na]+: 523.3102, found 523.3108.

(E)-7-((4-Methoxybenzyl)oxy)-5-methylhept-5-enoic Acid (5)

To a stirred solution of CH3OCH2PPh3Cl (16.5 g, 48.38 mmol) in THF (150 mL), n-BuLi (30.23 mL, 48.38 mmol) (1.6 M in THF) was added at 0 °C over 10 min. The mixture was stirred at 0 °C for 30 min, and then compound 10 (6.0 g, 24.19 mmol) in THF (30 mL) was added dropwise over 10 min at 0 °C. The reaction mixture was stirred at the same temperature for 3 h. The reaction mixture was quenched by addition of saturated NH4Cl solution (40 mL), extracted with pet ether (2 × 150 mL), dried over Na2SO4, and evaporated in vacuo. The crude material was purified by column chromatography (1:20 EtOAc/PE, R = 0.8 in 20% EA/PE) to afford enol ether (5.2 g), which was used as such for further reaction. The enol ether was dissolved in acetone (30 mL), cooled to 0 °C, and excess of Jones reagent (90 mL, 0.6 M solution) was added till the color of the solution persist orange. After 20 min, Et2O (150 mL) was added to the reaction mixture and the organic layer was separated, washed with H2O (2 × 50 mL) and brine (40 mL), dried over Na2SO4, and evaporated in vacuo. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (3:7 EtOAc/PE, R = 0.3 in 40% EA/PE) to afford 5 as a pale-yellow liquid (4.17 g, 62% yield over two steps): IR υmax (film): cm–1 3020, 1709, 1606, 1216; 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ 7.28 (d, J = 7.9 Hz, 2H), 6.88 (d, J = 7.9 Hz, 2H), 5.40 (t, J = 6.4 Hz, 1H), 4.43 (s, 2H), 3.99 (d, J = 6.7 Hz, 2H), 3.91–3.86 (m, 1H), 3.80 (s, 3H), 2.34 (t, J = 7.3 Hz, 2H), 2.08 (t, J = 7.6 Hz, 2H), 1.78 (td, J = 7.1, 14.5 Hz, 2H), 1.69–1.56 (m, 3H); 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3): δ 178.6, 159.1, 139.0, 132.3, 130.5, 129.4, 121.9 (2C), 113.7, 71.7, 66.2, 55.3, 38.7, 33.2, 22.5, 16.2; HRMS calculated for C16H22O4Na [M + Na]+: 301.1410, found 301.1413.

(R,E)-4-Benzyl-3-(7-((4-methoxybenzyl)oxy)-5-methylhept-5-enoyl)oxazolidin-2-one (11)

Compound 5 (2.94 g, 10.57 mmol) was taken in a 250 mL round bottom flask in THF (50 mL), pivaloyl chloride (1.31 mL, 10.57 mmol) was added at 0 °C, and then Et3N (1.44 mL, 10.57 mmol) was added dropwise over 10 min. The reaction mixture was stirred at 0 °C for 30 min. In another round bottom flask, (R)-4-benzyloxazolidin-2-one (2.59 g, 11.63 mmol) was taken in THF (60 mL) and cooled to −78 °C and n-BuLi (7.3 mL, 11.63 mmol) (1.6 M in THF) was added over 10 min. The mixture was stirred at the same temperature for 30 min. Then, to this mixture, the above reaction mixture was added at −78 °C and stirred for 2 h at the same temperature. The reaction mixture was quenched by addition of saturated NH4Cl solution (30 mL), extracted with EtOAc (2 × 100 mL), washed with brine (40 mL), dried over Na2SO4, and evaporated in vacuo. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (1:20 EtOAc/PE, R = 0.6 in 20% EA/PE) to afford compound 11 as a sticky liquid (4.4 g, 95% yield): [α]D23 = −9.6 (c = 0.35, CHCl3); IR υmax (film): cm–1 3415, 3022, 1596, 1525, 1426, 1216; 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ 7.37–7.30 (m, 2H), 7.30–7.24 (m, 3H), 7.23–7.18 (m, 2H), 6.90–6.85 (m, 2H), 5.46–5.39 (m, 1H), 4.70–4.62 (m, 1H), 4.43 (s, 2H), 4.21–4.11 (m, 2H), 4.03–3.97 (m, 2H), 3.80 (s, 3H), 3.29 (dd, J = 3.2, 13.3 Hz, 1H), 3.05–2.83 (m, 2H), 2.75 (dd, J = 9.8, 13.5 Hz, 1H), 2.13 (t, J = 7.6 Hz, 2H), 1.90–1.77 (m, 2H), 1.66 (s, 3H); 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3): δ 173.1, 159.1, 153.4, 139.3, 135.3, 130.6, 129.4 (3C), 128.9 (2C), 127.3 (2C), 121.7, 113.7 (2C), 71.7, 66.2, 66.1, 55.2, 55.1, 38.7, 37.9, 34.9, 22.1, 16.3; HRMS calculated for C26H31O5NNa [M + Na]+: 460.2094, found 460.2097.

(R)-4-Benzyl-3-((R,E)-7-((4-methoxybenzyl)oxy)-2,5-dimethylhept-5-enoyl)oxazolidin-2-one (12)

To a stirred solution of compound 11 (4.1 g, 9.09 mmol) in THF (100 mL), NaHMDS solution (10.9 mL, 10.90 mmol) (1.0 M in THF) was added at −78 °C dropwise over 10 min. The reaction mixture was stirred at the same temperature for 30 min, and then CH3I (1.70 mL, 27.27 mmol) was added and stirred for additional 3 h at −78 °C. The reaction mixture was quenched by addition of saturated NH4Cl solution (30 mL), extracted with EtOAc (2 × 100 mL), washed with brine (40 mL), dried over Na2SO4, and evaporated in vacuo. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (1:20 EtOAc/PE, R = 0.7 in 20% EA/PE) to afford compound 12 as a sticky liquid (3.89 g, 92% yield): [α]D23 = −38.3 (c = 1.10, CHCl3); IR υmax (film): cm–1 3415, 3021, 1739, 1431, 1217; 1H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3): δ 7.35–7.30 (m, 2H), 7.29–7.22 (m, 3H), 7.20 (d, J = 7.2 Hz, 2H), 6.88–6.83 (m, 2H), 5.39–5.32 (m, 1H), 4.67–4.59 (m, 1H), 4.41 (s, 2H), 4.20–4.07 (m, 2H), 4.02–3.92 (m, 2H), 3.80 (s, 3H), 3.73–3.63 (m, 1H), 3.24 (dd, J = 3.1, 13.4 Hz, 1H), 2.76 (dd, J = 9.5, 13.4 Hz, 1H), 2.06–2.01 (m, 1H), 1.98–1.88 (m, 1H), 1.79–1.71 (m, 1H), 1.63 (s, 3H), 1.54 (tdd, J = 6.4, 8.8, 13.1 Hz, 1H), 1.23 (d, J = 6.9 Hz, 3H); 13C NMR (125 MHz, CDCl3): δ = 176.9, 159.1, 153.0, 139.5, 135.3, 130.6, 129.4 (2C), 129.4 (2C), 128.9 (2C), 127.3, 121.6, 113.7 (2C), 71.8, 66.3, 66.0, 55.2 (2C), 37.9, 37.3, 37.2, 31.2, 17.6, 16.2; HRMS calculated for C27H33O5NNa [M + Na]+: 474.2251, found 474.2255.

(R,E)-7-((4-Methoxybenzyl)oxy)-2,5-dimethylhept-5-enoic Acid (12a)

Compound 12 (2.25 g, 4.98 mmol) was taken in THF (30 mL) and cooled to 0 °C, and then H2O2 (15 mL) (30% in H2O) followed by LiOH (0.42 g, 9.98 mmol) in H2O (10 mL) was added to it. After 3 h, THF was evaporated and EtOAc (40 mL) and H2O (20 mL) were added. The aqueous layer was separated, acidified with 2 N HCl, and extracted with EtOAc (2 × 50 mL). The combined organic fraction was dried over Na2SO4 and evaporated in vacuo. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (2:3 EtOAc/PE) to afford compound 12a (acid) as a pale-yellow liquid (1.31 g), which was used as such without characterization.

Methyl ((R,E)-7-((4-methoxybenzyl)oxy)-2,5-dimethylhept-5-enoyl)-l-prolinate (13)

To compound 12a (1.0 g, 3.42 mmol) in DMF (10 mL), HATU (1.43 g, 3.76 mmol) was added at 0 °C and then l-pro-OMe·HCl (0.62 g, 3.76 mmol) and DIPEA (1.50 mL, 8.56 mmol) were added. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 12 h; then diluted with EtOAc (80 mL); washed with H2O (30 mL), saturated NaHCO3 solution (30 mL), 1 N HCl (30 mL), and brine (25 mL); dried over Na2SO4; and evaporated in vacuo. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (1:1 EtOAc/PE, R = 0.35 in 50% EA/PE) to afford 13 as a pale-yellow liquid (1.05 g, 76% yield): [α]D26 = −34.5 (c =1.09, CHCl3); IR υmax (film): cm–1 2963, 1748, 1629, 1435, 1246; 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ 7.25 (d, J = 8.5 Hz, 2H), 6.87 (d, J = 8.5 Hz, 2H), 5.34 (t, J = 6.7 Hz, 1H), 4.51–4.45 (m, 1H), 4.42 (s, 2H), 3.97 (d, J = 6.1 Hz, 1H), 3.80 (s, 3H), 3.71 (s, 3H), 3.65–3.58 (m, 1H), 3.58–3.50 (m, 1H), 2.16–2.10 (m, 1H), 2.06–1.83 (m, 6H), 1.62 (s, 3H), 1.53–1.41 (m, 3H), 1.14 (d, J = 6.7 Hz, 3H); 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3): δ 175.1, 172.9, 159.0, 139.7, 130.5, 129.3 (2C), 121.3, 113.6 (2C), 71.7, 66.2, 58.5, 55.2, 52.0, 46.7, 37.4, 37.0, 31.2, 29.0, 24.7, 17.2, 16.1; HRMS calculated for C23H33O5NNa [M + Na]+: 426.2251, found 426.2254.

Methyl ((2R,E)-7-hydroxy-2,5,8,8-tetramethylnon-5-enoyl)-l-prolinate (3)

To compound 13 (1.00 g, 2.481 mmol) in CH2Cl2 (30 mL) and phosphate buffer solution (pH = 7) (6 mL), DDQ (1.40 g, 5.458 mmol) was added at 0 °C. The reaction mixture was stirred vigorously at room temperature for 3 h, and then the reaction mixture was diluted with CH2Cl2 (40 mL) and H2O (30 mL). The organic layer was separated; washed with H2O (30 mL), saturated NaHCO3 solution (2 × 30 mL), and brine (30 mL); and evaporated in vacuo. The crude product was used as such for further reaction. Crude aldehyde 14 was taken in THF (10 mL), and tert-butylmagnesium chloride solution (1.36 mL, 2.729 mmol) (2 M in THF) was added at 0 °C. The reaction mixture was stirred at the same temperature for 1 h, quenched by addition of saturated NH4Cl solution (5 mL), extracted with EtOAc (2 × 20 mL), dried over Na2SO4, and evaporated in vacuo. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (1:1 EtOAc/PE, R = 0.6 in 5% MeOH/CH2Cl2) to afford compound 3 as a pale-yellow liquid (522 mg, 62% yield over two steps) as mixture of diastereomers: IR υmax (film): cm–1 3389, 3019, 1739, 1633, 1433, 1217; 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ 5.28–5.22 (m, 1H), 4.51 (dd, J = 3.4, 8.2 Hz, 1H), 4.02–3.92 (m, 1H), 3.73 (s, 3H), 3.70–3.63 (m, 1H), 3.60–3.54 (m, 1H), 2.56–2.51 (m, 1H), 2.26–2.14 (m, 2H), 2.11–2.05 (m, 1H), 2.04–1.97 (m, 3H), 1.92–1.84 (m, 1H), 1.74–1.68 (m, 3H), 1.55–1.45 (m, 1H), 1.17 (d, J = 6.7 Hz, 3H), 0.89 (s, 9H); 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3): δ 175.2, 172.9, 139.3, 138.8, 125.1, 124.7, 75.8, 58.6, 52.1, 46.8, 46.3, 37.9, 37.7, 37.5, 37.1, 31.7, 31.4, 29.0 (3C), 25.6 (3C), 25.5, 24.8, 17.3, 16.9, 16.8, 16.6; HRMS calculated for C19H34O4N [M + H]+: 340.2488, found 340.2494.

Methyl N-(N-((2R,E)-7-hydroxy-2,5,8,8-tetramethylnon-5-enoyl)-l-prolyl-l-valylglycyl-N-methyl-l-alanyl)-N-methyl-l-leucinate (2)

To a stirred solution of compound 13 (62 mg, 0.182 mmol) in THF (3 mL), LiOH (16 mg, 0.365 mmol) in H2O (2 mL) was added at 0 °C. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 h. The solvent was removed under vacuo, and the reaction mixture was cooled to 0 °C and acidified with 2 N HCl solution. Then, the reaction mixture was extracted with EtOAc (3 × 10 mL), washed with brine (10 mL), dried over Na2SO4, and evaporated in vacuo. The crude carboxylic acid was taken in DMF (3 mL), and HATU (77 mg, 0.201 mmol) was added at 0 °C, followed by addition of compound 9 (100 mg, 0.201 mmol) and DIPEA (80μL, 0.457 mmol). The resulting solution was stirred at room temperature for 3.5 h. The reaction mixture was then diluted with EtOAc (15 mL) and H2O (3 mL) and extracted with EtOAc (2 × 15 mL). The combined organic layers were washed with saturated NaHCO3 solution (10 mL), 1 N HCl (10 mL), and brine (10 mL); dried over Na2SO4; and evaporated in vacuo. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (1:50 MeOH/CH2Cl2, R = 0.4 in 5% MeOH/CH2Cl2) to afford 2 as a colorless liquid (101 mg, 78% yield) as a mixture of diastereomers: IR υmax (film): cm–1 3384, 3022, 1648, 1518, 1422, 1216; 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ 7.72–7.67 (m, 1H), 7.01 (m, 1H), 5.63 (d, J = 15.9 Hz, 1H), 5.54–5.51 (m, 1H), 5.38 (dd, J = 9.8, 15.9 Hz, 1H), 5.18 (t, J = 7.9 Hz, 1H), 4.72 (d, J = 7.9 Hz, 1H), 4.51–4.38 (m, 1H), 4.10–3.99 (m, 2H), 3.70 (s, 3H), 3.63–3.48 (m, 2H), 2.94–2.84 (m, 6H), 2.61–2.53 (m, 1H), 2.47–2.36 (m, 1H), 2.31–2.25 (m, 1H), 2.15–2.09 (m, 1H), 2.05–1.97 (m, 2H), 1.91–1.81 (m, 1H), 1.74 (t, J = 7.0 Hz, 3H), 1.52–1.36 (m, 4H), 1.30 (d, J = 6.7 Hz, 3H), 1.14 (d, J = 6.1 Hz, 3H), 1.00 (s, 9H), 0.96 (d, J = 6.1 Hz, 5H), 0.89 (m, 10H); 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3): δ 177.1, 177.1, 172.0, 172.0, 171.9, 171.6, 171.5, 171.3, 171.2, 171.1, 171.1, 167.6, 167.6, 167.5, 167.2, 139.0, 131.3, 131.2, 72.4, 72.4, 59.6, 58.6, 58.2, 57.2, 55.1, 54.7, 52.2, 49.7, 49.6, 48.9, 47.3, 41.4, 41.4, 41.1, 40.4, 38.3, 38.2, 37.2, 36.8, 32.5, 31.3, 31.2, 30.5, 30.4, 30.2, 30.1, 29.7 (3C), 29.1, 29.1, 28.7, 28.3, 28.1, 27.9, 27.7, 26.9, 25.5, 25.1, 25.0, 24.9, 24.8, 23.2, 23.1, 21.6, 21.4, 21.3, 21.2, 19.4, 19.1, 18.1, 18.0, 17.8, 17.7, 17.3, 17.2, 14.6, 14.5, 14.3; HRMS calculated for C37H65O8N5Na [M + Na]+: 730.4730, found 730.4733.

Macrolactonization Conditions Performeda

Seco-acid was prepared by hydrolysis of compound 2 using 2 equiv of LiOH in THF and H2O.

Seco-acid was added (via a syringe pump for over 10 h) to refluxing solution of MNBA, DMAP, and DIPEA in CH2Cl2, and then the solution was stirred at the same temperature for 20 h.[9]

The mixture of 2,4,6-trichlorobenzoyl chloride, Et3N, and THF (rt, 2 h) was diluted with toluene and added to DMAP and toluene (rt/110 °C) via a syringe pump for over 10 h.[10]

To a solution of tetraphenyl porphyrin, diisopropyl azodicarboxylate, and toluene (rt/110 °C), seco-acid was added (via a syringe pump for over 10 h), and the reaction mixture was stirred for additional 20 h.[11]

Methyl ((R,E)-7-hydroxy-2,5-dimethylhept-5-enoyl)-l-prolinate (15)

To compound 13 (130 mg, 0.323 mmol) in CH2Cl2 (10 mL) and phosphate buffer solution (pH = 7) (2 mL), DDQ (80 mg, 0.355 mmol) was added in one portion at 0 °C. The reaction mixture was stirred vigorously at the same temperature for 1 h and then diluted with CH2Cl2 (20 mL) and H2O (10 mL). The organic layer was washed with H2O (2 × 10 mL), saturated NaHCO3 solution (10 mL), and brine (10 mL) and evaporated in vacuo. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (1:50 MeOH/CH2Cl2, R = 0.5 in 5% MeOH/CH2Cl2) to afford 15 as a pale-yellow liquid (69 mg, 76% yield): [α]D24 = −105.1 (c = 0.56, CHCl3); IR υmax (film): cm–1 3400, 3021, 1660, 1218; 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ 5.34 (t, J = 6.4 Hz, 1H), 4.46 (dd, J = 3.7, 8.5 Hz, 1H), 4.10 (d, J = 6.7 Hz, 2H), 3.69 (s, 3H), 3.67–3.59 (m, 1H), 3.57–3.45 (m, 1H), 2.55–2.42 (m, 1H), 2.22–2.12 (m, 1H), 2.08–2.01 (m, 1H), 2.01–1.91 (m, 4H), 1.90–1.82 (m, 1H), 1.63 (s, 3H), 1.49–1.40 (m, 1H), 1.12 (d, J = 6.7 Hz, 3H); 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3): δ 175.1, 172.9, 139.0, 123.8, 59.2, 58.5, 52.0, 46.7, 37.4, 37.2, 31.4, 31.3, 24.8, 17.2, 16.0; HRMS calculated for C15H25O4NNa [M + Na]+: 306.1676, found 306.1676.

Methyl N-(N-((R,E)-7-hydroxy-2,5-dimethylhept-5-enoyl)-l-prolyl-l-valylglycyl-N-methyl-l-alanyl)-N-methyl-l-leucinate (16)

To a stirred solution of compound 15 (75 mg, 0.265 mmol) in THF (4 mL), LiOH (23 mg, 0.53 mmol) in H2O (2 mL) was added at 0 °C. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 h. The solvent was removed under vacuo, and the reaction mixture was cooled to 0 °C and acidified with 2 N HCl solution. Then, the reaction mixture was extracted with EtOAc (6 × 10 mL), washed with brine (10 mL), dried over Na2SO4, and evaporated in vacuo. The crude acid was taken in DMF (5 mL) and HATU (111 mg, 0.291 mmol) was added at 0 °C. Then, compound 9 (145 mg, 0.291 mmol) and DIPEA (0.12 mL, 0.66 mmol) were added. The resulting solution was stirred at room temperature for 12 h. The reaction mixture was then diluted with EtOAc (15 mL) and H2O (3 mL) and extracted with EtOAc (2 × 15 mL). The combined organic layers were washed with saturated NaHCO3 solution (10 mL), 1 N HCl (10 mL), and brine (10 mL); dried over Na2SO4; and evaporated in vacuo. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (1:20 MeOH/CH2Cl2, R = 0.4 in MeOH/CH2Cl2) to afford 2 as a pale-yellow liquid (106 mg, 68% yield) as a mixture of rotamers: [α]D26 = −90.7 (c =0.26, CHCl3); IR υmax (film): cm–1 3406, 2962, 1738, 1642, 1218; 1H NMR (500 MHz, CDCl3): δ 7.67–7.53 (m, 1H), 7.16–7.03 (m, 1H), 5.49 (q, J = 6.7 Hz, 2H), 5.36 (t, J = 5.5 Hz, 1H), 5.11 (t, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 4.70 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 2H), 4.31–4.19 (m, 1H), 4.14 (d, J = 6.5 Hz, 2H), 4.10–3.94 (m, 1H), 3.74–3.65 (m, 3H), 3.63–3.47 (m, 2H), 2.93–2.77 (m, 6H), 2.64–2.48 (m, 1H), 2.46–2.33 (m, 1H), 2.31–2.18 (m, 1H), 2.13–1.97 (m, 4H), 1.97–1.84 (m, 2H), 1.78–1.71 (m, 2H), 1.64 (s, 3H), 1.56–1.48 (m, 1H), 1.44 (qd, J = 6.7, 13.2 Hz, 1H), 1.34–1.28 (m, 3H), 1.19–1.12 (m, 3H), 1.03–0.98 (m, 1H), 0.96 (d, J = 6.9 Hz, 3H), 0.93–0.86 (m, 8H) 13C NMR (125 MHz, CDCl3): δ 177.3, 172.1, 172.0, 171.7, 171.5, 171.4, 171.2, 168.0, 138.6, 124.0, 59.9, 59.7, 59.2, 58.7, 57.3, 55.5, 52.5, 52.2, 50.0, 49.1, 47.4, 41.3, 41.1, 38.2, 37.3, 37.2, 31.6, 31.2, 30.4, 30.2, 29.6, 29.3, 28.9, 27.1, 25.0, 24.7, 23.2, 23.1, 21.7, 21.2, 19.3, 17.9, 17.3, 16.0, 14.5, 14.2; C33H57O8N5Na [M + Na]+: 674.4099, found 674.4097

(3S,9S,12S,20R,25aS,E)-12-Isobutyl-3-isopropyl-8,9,11,17,20-pentamethyl-2,3,5,6,8,9,11,12,19,20,23,24,25,25a-tetradecahydro-1H,15H-pyrrolo[2,1-o][1]oxa[4,7,10,13,16]pentaazacyclotricosine-1,4,7,10,13,21(18H)-hexaone (17)

To a stirred solution of compound 16 (56 mg, 0.08 mmol) in THF (3 mL), LiOH (8 mg, 0.17 mmol) in H2O (2 mL) was added at 0 °C. The reaction mixture was stirred at the same temperature for 2 h. The solvent was removed under vacuo, and the reaction mixture was cooled to 0 °C and acidified with 2 N HCl solution. Then, the reaction mixture was extracted with EtOAc (2 × 20 mL), washed with brine (10 mL), dried over Na2SO4, and evaporated in vacuo. The crude seco-acid was dissolved in CH2Cl2 (20 mL) and added to a refluxing solution of 2-methyl-6-nitrobenzoic anhydride (MNBA) (137 mg, 0.40 mmol), DMAP (49 mg, 0.40 mmol), and DIPEA (0.70 μL, 0.40 mmol) in CH2Cl2 (140 mL) for over 10 h via a syringe pump. The resulting solution was refluxed for 12 h after complete addition of seco-acid. The reaction mixture was washed with H2O (50 mL), saturated NaHCO3 solution (40 mL), 1 N HCl (40 mL), and brine (40 mL); dried over Na2SO4; and evaporated in vacuo. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (1:40 MeOH/CH2Cl2, R = 0.4 in 5% MeOH/CH2Cl2) to afford 2 as a colorless liquid (18 mg, 34% yield): [α]D21 = −32.7 (c = 0.32, CHCl3); IR υmax (film): cm–1 3021, 2928, 1727, 1652, 1517, 1470, 1424, 1216; 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ 7.71–7.64 (m, 1H), 6.99–6.93 (m, 1H), 5.57–5.46 (m, 1H), 5.30 (t, J = 6.7 Hz, 1H), 4.70 (brs, 1H), 4.57 (d, J = 6.7 Hz, 2H), 4.30–4.25 (m, 1H), 4.09–3.96 (m, 2H), 3.76–3.69 (m, 1H), 3.59–3.45 (m, 2H), 3.18 (s, 3H), 3.00 (s, 3H), 2.54–2.50 (m, 2H), 2.46–2.39 (m, 1H), 2.33–2.23 (m, 1H), 2.20–2.10 (m, 2H), 1.84 (dt, J = 7.0, 12.7 Hz, 3H), 1.69 (s, 3H), 1.55–1.45 (m, 2H), 1.43–1.37 (m, 2H), 1.32–1.26 (m, 2H), 1.14 (d, J = 6.7 Hz, 3H), 0.98–0.87 (m, 13H); 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3): δ 176.8, 175.3, 171.5, 171.0, 168.3, 167.5, 141.6, 118.9, 61.3, 59.6, 59.5, 58.7, 58.6, 55.2, 54.8, 47.3, 46.4, 41.6, 37.3, 37.2, 31.2, 30.2, 26.8, 25.2, 25.1, 22.6, 22.5, 21.0, 19.4, 17.9, 17.3, 16.2; C32H53O7N5Na [M + Na]+: 642.3837, found 642.3843.

Antitrypanosomal Assay Protocol

Trypanosoma brucei parasites (427 strain) were maintained in in vitro culture using modified HMI-9 media supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum. For determining the antitrypanosomal activity of the Janadolide analogue and other standard inhibitors, a modified version of the previously reported protocol for the whole-cell-based dose-dependent bioactivity assay was employed.[12] Briefly, the test compounds were serially diluted in 100 μL of cell culture medium and seeded in 96-well plates, in triplicate, to a final concentration ranging from 10 μM to 10 nM. To this, another 100 μL of cell culture medium containing ∼2000 parasites was added. After incubating the cultures for 72 h, under optimal growth conditions, the viability of parasites was checked by treating the cultures for 1 h with 10 μM resazurine dye. Resazurine will be irreversibly reduced by live cells into resorufin, which when excited at 570 nm emits fluorescence at 585 nm. The IC50 values were calculated from the dose-dependent percentage inhibition obtained for each test compound. Pentamidine and oligomycin, which have potent antitrypanosomal activity, were used as positive indicators for parasite killing, and 1% DMSO-treated parasite cultures were used as negative controls in the assay.