Studies directed towards the total synthesis of anthracycline antibiotics

Abstract

At present anthracycline antibiotics have proven to be the most exciting agents in cancer chemotherapy. Both adriamycin and daunomycin are proven to be effective against a variety of human tumour cells, despite their cardiotoxicity. However, some synthetic analogues, such as 4-demethoxydaunomycin, are shown to be better therapeutic ratios compared to adriamycin or daunomycin. Various approaches have been successfully made for the total synthesis of (±) 4-demethoxydaunomycinone, the aglycone of (±) 4-demethoxydaunomycin, starting from benzoquinone, napthalene or anthraquinone precursors. Finally an elegant approach for the stereoconvergent synthesis of (+) 4-demethoxydaunomycinone has been worked out. New methods involving both Diels-Alder and Friedal-Crafts acylation, have been developed for the total synthesis of daunomycinone and 11-deoxydaunomycinone. The synthesis of L-daunosamine, the amino sugar unit present in the antitumor anthracyclines has been successfully elaborated starting either from D-glucose or D-glucosamine.