Why sugars are important

Here’s an editorial on why sugar chemistry is so important.

 

Science article

Tomentosone A

Wilawan Mahabusarakam and co-workers at Songkla University and Griffith University have reported in JOC on the isolation of an antimalarial compound tomentosone A.

Chipericumins A–D

Jun’ichi Kobayashi and co-workers from Hokkaido University have reported in the Journal of Natural Products on the isolation of some acylphloroglucinols.

JNP paper

Hyperibone Synthesis

John Porco and co-workers at Boston University have published in JACS on the total synthesis of hyperibone.  They determined the absolute configuration by acylating a hydroxy group as the para-bromo benzoate ester to obtain an x-ray crystal structure.  The key step is the dearomatization/alkylation procedure using a cinchona alkaloid catalyst.

JACS paper

Petiolin J

Jun’ichi Kobayashi and co-workers from Hokkaido University have published in Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters on the isolation of petiolin J from Hypericum pseudopetiolatum var. kiusianum.  Petiolin J had antimicrobial activity against Micrococcus luteus, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes (8, 16 and 16 μg/mL, respectively).

Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters paper

Lysidicins

Shi-Shan Yu and co-workers from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union College have recently reported in Organic Letters on the isolation of lysidicins F-H, three phloroglucinols that had anti-oxidant activity.

OL paper

Synthesis of Ent-Hyperforin

Masakatsu Shibasaki and co-workers at the University of Tokyo have recently published in ACIEE on the total synthesis of ent-hyperforin, a polyprenylated acylphloroglucinol.  One of the key reactions was an asymmetric Diels-Alder cycloaddition that involved the use of a cationic iron complex using a chiral pybox ligand.

ACIEE paper

Polyprenylated Compounds

Hong-Xi Xu and co-workers from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Institute of Chinese Medicine have recently published in the Journal of Natural Products on the isolation of garcicowin A, a polyprenylated acylphloroglucinol derivative from the twigs of Garcinia cowa.  However, the previously isolated 30-epicambogin had more impressive cytotoxicity properties with an IC50 value of 5.1 micromolar against HT-29 cells – it was more cytotoxic than cisplatin (26.6 micromolar).

JNP paper