First total synthesis of rottlerin

ORGN 721

Marc J. Adler, marc.adler@duke.edu and Steven W. Baldwin, steven.baldwin@duke.edu. Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Box 90354, Durham, NC 27708-0354
Rottlerin (1) is a natural product which has been shown to be a potent protein kinase C inhibitor. Although commercially available as a largely pure extract, recent findings which indicate that it has significant anti-tumor activity in certain types of cancer prompted the initiation of synthetic exploration towards the first total synthesis of rottlerin and various structural analogues. Presented here are the results of studies to construct subunits 2 and 3, followed by their coupling to yield rottlerin. The findings of initial attempts to prepare various analogues of rottlerin by structural modifications in Zones 1-4 are also reported.