Formal synthesis of core unit of apicularen A and its synthetic derivatives

Over the past few years, a variety of macrocyclic salicylate natural products have been isolated from both terrestrial and marine sources based on their ability to induce a particular phenotype in mammalian cells. Extracts of the myxobacterium Chondromyces showed high cytotoxicity against cultivated mammalian cells and bio-guided fractionation revealed the cytotoxicity was due to one main metabolite identified as the novel macrolide apicularen A. Beginning to understand the molecular basis for these distinct activities will require structure-function correlation studies and the development of synthetic chemistry in this area. (omitted)