Enantioselective synthesis of (+)-cryptophycin 52 (LY355703), a potent antimitotic antitumor agent

A highly enantioselective and convergent synthesis of cryptophycin 52 (2), an exceedingly potent cytotoxic agent, is described. Cryptophycin 52, a synthetic variant of the cryptophycin family, is currently undergoing clinical trials. The synthesis is convergent and involves assembly of three fragments, phenyl hexenal 3, d-tyrosine phosphonate 4, and protected beta-amino acid derivative 5. The synthesis of fragment 3 involves an efficient and stereocontrolled construction of both stereogenic centers at C-3 and C-4 by cleavage of a substituted tetrahydrofuran ring via an acyloxycarbenium ion intermediate. Both of these stereogenic centers were derived from optically active 4-phenylbutyrolactone, synthesized enantioselectively by Corey-Bakshi-Shibata reduction.